THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT  OF 

WILLIAM  P.   WREDEN 


General  Grant's  favorite  charger  Cincinnati,  who  was  ridden  by 
President  Lincoln. 


Famous  Four-Footed  Friends 


BY 

G.  C.  HARVEY 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  LIGHT  THAT  LIES,"  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 

ROBERT  M.  McBRIDE  &  COMPANY 
1916 


Copyright,    1916,   by 
ROBERT  M.  McBaiDE  &  Co. 


Published  November,  1916 


PREFACE 

The  attempt  has  been  made,  in  the  following  pages, 
to  combine,  with  the  stories  of  great  men's  horses  and 
dogs,  a  certain  amount  of  information  concerning  the 
owners  of  the  animals. 

Where  it  seemed  advisable,  some  slight  geographical 
information  has  been  introduced,  though  not,  it  is 
believed,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  the  book  the 
appearance  of  an  educational  work. 

Finally,  the  excuse  for  the  introduction  of  certain 
ancient  tales  that  are  not  strictly  founded  on  fact  must 
be,  that  even  if  they  are  not  true,  they  are  good  enough 
V  to  be  so. 


A 

682970 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   I 

PAGE 

FOR  A  KING'S  SAKE I 

Alexander  the  Great  and  his  horse  Bucephalus. 

CHAPTER    II 

A  TOWN  NAMED  FOR  A  DOG «      .    IO 

Perites,  the  favorite  dog  of  Alexander. 

CHAPTER  III 

A  MAD  EMPEROR'S  FAVORITE 19 

The  Roman  Emperor  Caligula  and  his  petted  charger  Incitatus. 

CHAPTER   IV 

A  GIANT'S  CHARGER 28 

Ogier  of  Denmark  and  his  faithful  horse  Broieffort 

CHAPTER  V 

A  PRINCE'S  SAD  MISTAKE 39 

The  story  of  the  hound  Gellert  and  his  master  Llewelyn. 

CHAPTER  VI 

A  DOG  THAT  CHOSE  His  MASTER 45 

Pompee,  the  little  dog  of  William  the  Silent. 

CHAPTER  VII 

A  FICKLE  PET 53 

Richard  II  of  England  and  his  greyhound  Mathe. 


CONTENTS 
CHAPTER  VIII 

FACE 

A  KING'S  WARRIOR 60 

Frederick  the  Great  and  his  brave  dog  Gengisk, 

CHAPTER    IX 
"WHOSE  DOG  ARE  You?" 68 

Stories  of  the  poet  Pope  and  his  little  dog  Bounce. 

CHAPTER  X 
A  QUEEN'S  LAST  FRIEND 75 

The  sad  tale  of  Marie  Antoinette  and  her  pet  dog  Thisbe. 

CHAPTER  XI 

A  CURIOUS  SNUFF  Box 83 

Marengo,  the  horse  that  was  named  after  Napoleon's  great 
victory. 

CHAPTER  XII 

THE  IRON  DUKE'S  CHARGER 92 

Copenhagen,  the  horse  that  Wellington  rode  at  Waterloo. 

CHAPTER   XIII 
THE  DOGS  OF  ABBOTSFORD 98 

Sir  Walter  Scott  and  his  pets  Camp  and  Maida. 

CHAPTER   XIV 

"Ou>  WHITEY".      .  107 

How  Zachary  Taylor  and  his  horse  marched  into  Mexico. 

CHAPTER    XV 

"BOATSWAIN,  A  DOG" 113 

The  poet  Byron  and  his  faithful  Newfoundland. 

CHAPTER  XVI 

A  SOUTHERN  HERO'S  CHARGER  ....,,,.  120 
Robert  E.  Lee  and  his  gray  horse  Traveller. 


CONTENTS 
CHAPTER   XVII 

PACE 

Two  FRIENDS  OF  A  CONQUEROR 126 

Cincinnati  and  Ponto,  two  friends  of  General  Grant 

CHAPTER   XVIII 

HONORED  BY  A  GOOD  WOMAN    .      .      .,     ,...,.'.'      .      .  134 
The  story  of  Grey  Friar's  Bobby. 

CHAPTER   XIX 

THE  SOLE  SURVIVOR      ..........  140 

How  the  horse  Comanche  carried  General  Custer  at  the  fight 
of  Little  Big  Horn. 

CHAPTER    XX 

A  STATESMAN'S  COMPANION 145 

Gladstone  and  his  little  dog  Petz. 

CHAPTER   XXI 

A  MOURNER  WITH  KINGS   .      .  153 

How  Caesar  followed  the  coffin  of  his  master  Edward  VII. 

CHAPTER   XXII 

A  CHIEFTAIN  OF  HEROES 162 

Barry,  a  St.  Bernard  of  the  Alps. 

CHAPTER   XXIII 

A  CITY'S  SHEEP  DOG .      .  168 

Jack,  the  shepherd  dog  of  Central  Park. 

CHAPTER   XXIV 

Two  MODERN  DOG  HEROES  .      .      .    •  .      .      ,      .     ...     .  173 
Fend  1'Air  and  Loulou,  two  dogs  of  the  French  army. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

GENERAL  GRANT'S  CHARGER,  CINCINNATI,  WHO  WAS  RIDDEN  BY 
PRESIDENT  LINCOLN Frontispiece 

FACING 

PAGE 

A  FAMOUS  STATUE  OF  ALEXANDER  THE  GREAT  AND  BUCEPHALUS 
WHICH  LAY  BURIED  FOR  NEARLY  1700  YEARS  AMONG  THE  RUINS 
OF  THE  CITY  OF  HERCULANEUM  IN  ITALY 6 

THE  EMPEROR  CALIGULA  ON  His  CHARGER  INCITATUS  WHO  FED  FROM 
AN  IVORY  MANGER 20 

FREDERICK  THE  GREAT  AND  GENGISK,  THE  DOG  WHO  SAVED  HIM  FROM 
CAPTURE 62 

MARIE  ANTOINETTE  AND  THISB£,  THE  LITTLE  DOG  WHO  COMMITTED 
SUICIDE  WHEN  SEPARATED  FROM  HER  MISTRESS  ....  76 

NAPOLEON  AND  MARENGO,  THE  CHARGER  WHOSE  HOOF  Is  THE  SNUFF 
Box  OF  AN  ENGLISH  REGIMENT 84 

COPENHAGEN,  THE  WAR  HORSE  WHO  BORE  THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON 
THROUGHOUT  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO 94 

A  GREAT  AUTHOR  AND  THE  DOG  HE  DESCRIBED  IN  ONE  OF  His  NOVELS    102 

WHEN  BYRON'S  NEWFOUNDLAND  DIED,  THE  POET  DECLARED  THAT  HE 
HAD  LOST  His  ONLY  FRIEND 116 

GENERAL  LEE  AND  TRAVELLER,  THE  FAITHFUL  CHARGER  WHO  CARRIED 
His  MASTER  ALL  THROUGH  THE  CIVIL  WAR 122 

PONTO,  THE  CONSTANT  COMPANION  OF  GENERAL  GRANT,  WHO  WAS 
CARRIED  WHEN  A  PUPPY  IN  His  MASTER'S  POCKET  .  .  .132 

GREY  FRIAR'S  BOBBY,  WHO  FOR  FOURTEEN  YEARS  DAILY  VISITED  His 
MASTER'S  GRAVE 136 

THE  LITTLE  DOG  CESAR  MARCHING  AT  THE  HEAD  OF  FIFTY  PRINCES  AT 
THE  FUNERAL  OF  KING  EDWARD  VII 156 

JACK,  THE  SHEEP  DOG  AT  CENTRAL  PARK,  WITH  His  MASTER,  JAMES 
CONROY — A  MILLIONAIRE'S  GIFT  TO  A  FAITHFUL  SHEPHERD  .  .174 

FEKD  L'AIR,  THE  BEST  LOVED  DOG  IN  EUROPE,  WHO  RESCUED  His 
MASTER  WHO  HAD  BEEN  BURIED  BY  THE  EXPLOSION  OF  A  SHELL  ,  178 


FAMOUS   FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 


Famous  Four- Footed  Friends 

CHAPTER   I 
FOR  A   KING'S   SAKE 

FROM  the  days  of  long,  long  ago  comes  this  tale, 
one  of  the  oldest  stories  that  seems  to  be  at  all 
founded  on  fact,  ever  told  about  a  horse.  It  is  to  be 
feared  that  if  the  horse  had  not  belonged  to  such  a 
wonderful  man,  we  should  never  have  heard  much 
about  him,  and  yet  his  fidelity  is  worthy  of  all  the 
songs  and  tales  that  have  been  sung  and  written  about 
him.  The  horse's  name  was  Bucephalus,  which  means 
that  he  had  a  broad  head  like  an  ox,  and  we  are  told 
that  he  was  a  fine,  tall  fellow,  coal  black,  with  a  star 
on  his  forehead.  He  was  the  favorite  companion  and 
charger  of  Alexander  the  Great,  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  generals  ever  known. 

Alexander,  who  lived  a  great  many  years  ago — 
almost  four  hundred  years  before  Christ  was  born 
— was  the  son  of  King  Philip  II  of  Macedonia. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances,  Macedonia  might 
i 


2      FAMOUS   FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

not  appear  to  be  a  particularly  interesting  part  of  th 
world  to  most  of  us.  When  we  begin  to  think,  how 
ever,  that  over  the  snow-coated  mountains  of  thi 
country  the  Serbians  fled,  in  1915  and  1916,  befor 
the  advancing  Bulgarian  and  Austrian  armies,  it  doe 
not  seem  so  difficult  to  become  interested  in  what  tool 
place  there  so  many  years  ago.  In  fact,  when  we  rea< 
of  the  battles  of  Alexander  the  Great,  it  is  hard  t 
believe  that  we  are  not  reading  of  what  has  occurrei 
in  our  own  time. 

Macedonia  was  not  such  a  very  large  kingdom  whei 
Alexander's  father  began  to  reign,  but  Philip  was 
very  brave  as  well  as  an  extremely  ambitious  man,  an< 
before  he  died  he  had  conquered  the  neighboring  coun 
tries  on  the  east  and  the  west  and  the  south.  So  thai 
when  his  father  was  killed  by  traitors,  Alexander  be 
came  ruler  of  most  of  what  we  have  always  known  a 
Turkey  in  Europe.  And  it  brings  us  a  little  closer  t< 
those  distant  times,  perhaps,  when  we  realize  tha 
Saloniki,  where  the  Allies  landed  their  troops  an< 
supplies  to  go  to  the  aid  of  the  Serbians,  was  also  : 
seaport  in  Alexander's  dominions. 

Philip  was  very  proud  of  his  son,  and  did  every 
thing  in  his  power  to  give  him  the  best  education  tha 
could  be  obtained.  Aristotle,  a  renowned  Greel 
philosopher,  was  engaged  as  Alexander's  tutor,  but  i 


FOR  A    KING'S    SAKE  3 

seems  as  if  the  boy  must  have  spent  more  time  in  watch- 
ing the  soldiers  drill  than  at  his  lessons;  for,  when  he 
was  only  sixteen  years  old,  he  commanded,  very  suc- 
cessfully, an  army  against  some  rebellious  hill-tribes 
during  his  father's  absence.  Still,  he  must  have  learnt 
some  wisdom  from  the  good  Aristotle,  for  he  was 
usually  very  just  to  those  whom  he  conquered. 

When  Alexander  was  twelve  years  old,  a  mam  named 
Philonicus  offered  to  sell  Bucephalus  to  Philip.  Phil- 
onicus,  who  reared  horses  in  Thessaly,  declared  that 
Bucephalus  was  the  finest  horse  that  he  had  ever  owned, 
and  that  he  was  well  worth  the  money  that  was  asked 
for  him:  almost  $17,000. 

Now  $17,000  was  a  great  deal  of  money  to  pay  for  a 
horse  in  those  days,  so  Philip  wisely  said  that  he  would 
not  buy  Bucephalus  until  he  had  seen  and  tried  him. 
Philonicus  did  not  much  like  the  idea  of  this,  because, 
while  Bucephalus  was  perfectly  sound  and  a  remark- 
ably handsome  animal,  Philonicus  was  really  selling 
him  chiefly  because  no  one  in  Thessaly  could  ride  him. 
However,  not  wishing  to  lose  the  chance  of  making  such 
a  large  amount  of  money  as  he  had  asked  for  the  horse, 
the  dealer  agreed  at  last  to  send  him  to  Philip.  He 
probably  did  not  take  the  animal  himself,  because  he 
knew  quite  well  what  was  going  to  happen  when 
Philip's  men  began  to  try  to  ride  Bucephalus. 


4      FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

The  king  was  much'  interested  when  he  heard  that 
Bucephalus  had  arrived,  and  as  it  was  a  beautiful, 
bright  sunny  day,  he  decided  to  make  an  occasion  of 
the  trial  of  his  proposed  purchase.  So  he  invited  all  the 
members  of  his  court  to  go  with  him  to  a  large  plain, 
where  there  was  abundance  of  room  and  good,  soft 
springy  turf.  No  doubt  the  assemblage  was  a  very 
gay  and  gorgeous  one,  so  that  Philip  must  have  felt 
extremely  put  out  by  what  occurred. 

When  the  guests  had  arrived  at  the  plain,  and  were 
standing  about  in  little  groups  discussing  the  trial  that 
was  to  take  place,  Bucephalus  was  led  up  by  the 
servants.  Imagine  Philip's  horror,  when  he  saw  that 
the  horse's  glossy  coat  was  flecked  with  sweat,  and  that 
the  attendants  were  evidently  having  a  very  exciting 
time  of  it. 

At  last  the  horse  was  brought  up  in  front  of  Philip 
and  his  courtiers,  and  then  the  real  struggle  began. 
Bucephalus  jumped  from  one  side  to  the  other,  then 
stood  on  his  hind  legs  and  pawed  the  air.  Moreover, 
when  the  expert  riders  attempted  to  get  on  his  back,  he 
bit  and  kicked  and  struck  out  with  his  fore  feet  in  the 
most  vicious  manner. 

Vainly  the  riders,  ashamed  of  their  failure  in  the 
presence  of  their  king,  tried  to  control  Bucephalus; 
but  it  was  a  hopeless  task.  At  last  the  king  flew  into 


FOR   A    KING'S    SAKE  5 

a  furious  rage  and  it  was  a  very  fortunate  thing  for 
Philonicus  that  he  was  not  there.  Philip  at  once  made 
up  his  mind  that  he  would  not  have  the  horse  at  any 
price,  and  he  shouted  out  to  the  men  who  had  brought 
Bucephalus  to  take  him  back  to  Thessaly ;  and,  without, 
doubt,  the  king  let  fall  some  very  uncomplimentary 
remarks  about  Philonicus. 

At  this  moment,  young  Alexander,  who  had  been, 
for  a  walk  with  his  tutor,  Aristotle,  joined  the  group  of 
disappointed  courtiers.  He  listened  to  what  his  father 
had  to  say  and  then,  pointing  to  Bucephalus,  said:  "It 
seems  a  pity  to  lose  the  chance  of  getting  such  a  beauti- 
ful animal  just  because  no  one  has  sense  enough  to 
know  how  to  ride  him !" 

Philip  turned  indignantly,  and  asked  Alexander  how 
he  dared  to  make  such  a  remark.  He  said,  "Don't  you 
know  that  it  is  great  impertinence  for  you,  a  mere  boy, 
to  attempt  to  give  advice  to  your  elders?  What  can 
you  know  about  horses?" 

"I  know  enough  to  ride  that  horse!"  replied  little 
Alexander  quietly. 

His  father  was  very  angry  for  a  moment  at  his  son's 
assurance,  and  then  it  occurred  to  him  that  the  best 
way  to  point  out  Alexander's  folly  was  to  allow  him  to 
try  to  ride  Bucephalus.  It  must  have  been  very  hard 
for  him  to  permit  his  son  to  run  such  a  risk  of  being 


6       FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

seriously  injured,  but  he  said,  with  a  smile,  "How 
much  will  you  bet,  my  son,  that  you  can  ride  him 
successfully?" 

The  boy  flung  up  his  head.  "The  price  of  the  horse, 
by  Zeus!"  he  cried  proudly. 

Now  it  appears  that  Alexander  had  noticed  that 
Bucephalus  was  very  much  afraid  of  his  own  shadow, 
and  that  this  was  what  made  him  so  restive.  The  boy 
stood  in  thought  for  a  moment,  and  then  stepped  very 
cautiously  up  to  the  horse's  side  and  succeeded  in  plac- 
ing his  hand  on  the  frightened  creature's  neck.  For  a 
few  moments  he  stood  there,  patting  the  horse  gently 
and  talking  to  him  in  soothing  tones.  Then  he  gradually 
turned  the  animal's  head  toward  the  sun,  so  that  he 
could  no  longer  see  his  shadow. 

In  a  few  moments  Bucephalus  stood  still,  though  he 
trembled  all  over  from  excitement,  and  the  king  and 
his  courtiers  gazed  with  mouths  open  at  the  wonderful 
transformation  that  had  taken  place  in  the  vicious 
animal.  While  they  were  so  standing,  staring  at  one 
another  in  wonderment,  Alexander  vaulted  suddenly 
to  the  horse's  back  and  away  he  and  his  mount  flew. 
Bucephalus,  furious  because  this  mere  boy  had  suc- 
ceeded where  all  the  rest  had  failed,  fought  hard  to 
unseat  Alexander,  but  the  young  rider  clung  fast  and 
urged  his  steed  on  and  on.  At  last  the  pace  began  to 


A  famous  statue  of  Alexander  the  Great  and  Bucephalus,  which  lay 

buried  for  nearly  1,700  years  among  the  ruins  of  the  city  of  Hercu- 

laneum  in  Italy. 


FOR   A    KING'S    SAKE  7 

tell  on  Bucephalus,  and  he  would  have  preferred  to 
go  a  little  slower,  even  at  the  price  of  having  to  submit 
to  the  indignity  of  bearing  a  rider  on  his  back.  Alex- 
ander would  not  allow  any  slackening  of  speed,  though, 
until  he  was  sure  that  Bucephalus  was  thoroughly 
worn  out;  then  he  turned  the  horse's  head  and  rode  him 
slowly  back  to  where  the  king  was  waiting  anxiously. 

When  the  young  horseman  rode  up,  he  was  received 
with  cheers,  and  after  he  had  dismounted,  his  father 
embraced  him  and  said  proudly,  "My  kingdom  is  too 
small  for  you,  my  son!" 

After  this,  Bucephalus  became  Alexander's  property 
and  was  always  gentle  and  obedient  to  his  young 
master;  but  he  did  not  like  any  one  else  to  ride  him. 
In  fact,  it  is  said  that  he  would  repeat  his  old  tricks 
of  biting  and  kicking  when  strangers  came  near,  and 
yet  he  was  stolen  once  after  Alexander  became  king. 
When  this  robbery  happened,  however,  Alexander  was 
so  angry  and  uttered  such  terrible  threats  against  the 
thief  that  the  horse  was  returned  in  a  hurry. 

We  must  remember  that  in  those  days,  when  guns 
were  unknown,  soldiers  fought  with  spears  and  swords 
at  close  quarters,  and  that  their  generals  used  to  plunge 
into  the  thick  of  battle,  so  that  a  fleet  horse  was  a  very 
valuable  possession.  Alexander  was  so  attached  to 
Bucephalus  that  he  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  with  him, 


8      FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

and  the  horse  learnt  to  kneel  when  his  master  wished  to 
mount  or  to  dismount. 

Alexander  was  only  twenty  years  old  when  he  be- 
came king  of  Macedonia,  and  yet  he  had  to  gather  his 
armies  together  immediately  and  set  out  to  put  down 
a  number  of  rebellions.  It  seems  that  the  countries 
that  Philip  had  conquered  thought  this  a  good  time  to 
regain  their  independence.  The  young  king  soon  suc- 
ceeded in  suppressing  these  outbreaks,  and  then  set 
off  down  south  and  quelled  other  uprisings  in  lower 
Greece.  Later  on,  he  crossed  the  Dardanelles  and  con- 
quered Asia  Minor,  and  then  overcame  Egypt  and 
founded  the  city  of  Alexandria  which  still  stands  near 
the  mouth  of  the  river  Nile. 

At  last,  having  conquered  the  whole  of  Persia,  he 
marched  through  Afghanistan  and  fought  King  Porus 
of  India.  In  this  battle,  as  in  most  of  the  former  ones, 
Alexander  rode  faithful  Bucephalus.  It  seems  that  in 
this  great  battle  of  Hydaspes,  Alexander  rode  recklessly 
into  the  thick  of  the  fight,  straight  up  to  the  enemy's 
lines,  and  that  more  than  one  spear  was  buried  in  the 
neck  and  flanks  of  his  valiant  horse. 

At  last,  when  the  conflict  had  begun  to  turn  in 
Alexander's  favor,  Bucephalus,  for  the  first  time,  re- 
fused to  obey  his  master's  orders,  and  turned  and  fled 
to  the  rear.  We  can  easily  imagine  how  Alexander 


FOR   A    KING'S    SAKE  9 

struggled  with  his  mount  at  this  exciting  moment,  and 
how  he  did  everything  in  his  power  to  force  him  back 
into  the  struggle,  but  he  did  not  succeed,  and  finally 
Bucephalus  bore  his  master  to  a  place  of  safety  behind 
the  lines  and  there  knelt  for  him  to  dismount. 

Then,  as  Alexander,  indignant  and  perplexed, 
slipped  from  his  back,  this  faithful  servant  trembled 
for  a  moment  and  sank  down  dead,  happy  in  the  knowl- 
edge that  his  last  action  had  been  to  carry  his  beloved 
master  to  a  place  of  safety. 


CHAPTER   II 
A   TOWN   NAMED    FOR   A    DOG 

ALTHOUGH  the  writers  who  have  told  us  about 
Alexander  the  Great's  boyhood  do  not  mention 
it,  we  may  be  sure  that  he  was  a  friend  to  all  animals. 
No  boy  who  could  control  a  high-spirited  horse,  such 
as  Bucephalus,  would  be  content  without  the  love  and 
companionship  of  other  pets.  So  we  may  be  sure 
that  there  were  favorite  dogs  who  accompanied  Alex- 
ander on  his  long  walks  with  his  tutor,  and  on  his 
expeditions  to  the  military  camps,  where  he  loved  to 
go  to  watch  his  father's  armies  being  trained  and 
prepared  for  their  victorious  campaigns. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  there  seems  to  have 
been  only  one  dog  that  the  writers  considered  remark- 
able enough  to  be  worthy  of  mention.  This  animal's 
name  was  Perites,  and  he  was  presented  to  Alexander 
by  the  king  of  Albania.  This  was  a  short  time  before 
Alexander  set  out  to  conquer  King  Porus  of  India. 

Of  course  no  king  would  think  of  giving  a  dog  to 
such  a  great  man  as  Alexander,  unless  there  was  some- 
thing about  the  animal  that  would  cause  the  king  of 

10 


A   TOWN    NAMED    FOR   A    DOG        n 

Macedonia  to  value  him  very  highly.  For,  usually,  in 
those  days,  great  men  made  presents  to  one  another  only 
when  they  hoped  for  something  in  return.  Alexander 
was  so  distinguished,  and  so  powerful,  that  we  may 
suspect  that  the  king  of  Albania  looked  for  some  favor 
in  return  when  he  sent  the  beautiful  dog. 

Perites  was  not  merely  handsome.  He  was  so  large 
that  his  size  terrified  all  who  saw  him  for  the  first 
time,  and  he  would,  no  doubt,  have  been  muzzled  in 
short  order,  if  he  had  lived  in  our  time. 

Alexander,  undoubtedly,  was  delighted  to  receive  so 
fitting  a  companion  for  Bucephalus,  and  it  is  pleasant  to 
believe  that  a  strong  friendship  sprang  up  between  the 
proud,  big-hearted  horse  and  the  noble  dog.  With 
such  a  horse  to  carry  him  from  camp  to  camp,  and  with 
this  magnificent  dog  to  keep  watch  over  him  while 
he  slept  in  his  tent  at  night,  Alexander  was  indeed 
fortunate. 

It  appears  that  when  the  king  of  Albania  sent  the 
dog,  he  called  Alexander's  attention  particularly  to 
the  fact  that  Perites  was  renowned  for  his  exceptional 
courage.  Alexander,  who  was  so  fearless  himself,  was 
attracted  by  this  quality  more  than  by  the  size  or  beauty 
of  his  new  pet,  and  soon  made  up  his  mind  to  test  the 
dog's  bravery. 

In  those  days  there  were,  of  course,  no  theaters  like 


12     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

those  that  we  go  to  so  frequently  nowadays,  and  enter- 
tainments were  given  in  large  out-of-door  theaters 
similar  to  the  stadia  that  have  been  built  at  some  of 
our  universities  for  the  football  matches  and  other 
sports.  The  performances,  however,  were  even  more 
exciting  and  dangerous  than  football  games,  for  they 
consisted,  usually,  of  contests  between  armed  men;  or, 
worse  still,  between  men  and  savage  beasts. 

Alexander,  therefore,  decided  that  Perites  should  be 
placed  in  the  arena — as  the  large  open  stage  was  called 
— to  give  an  exhibition  of  his  much-vaunted  courage; 
and,  as  his  father  did,  when  he  invited  the  courtiers 
to  see  the  trial  of  Bucephalus,  the  king  determined  to 
make  a  grand  spectacle  of  the  test  of  Perites. 

He  decided  that  one  of  his  slaves  should  enter  the 
arena  with  the  enormous,  fierce-looking  dog,  and  he 
issued  a  proclamation  inviting  all  those  who  cared  to 
come  to  be  present  at  the  grand  entertainment. 

It  is  easy  to  picture  in  one's  mind  the  vast  multitude 
seated  around  the  arena,  waiting  impatiently  to  see  the 
remarkable  dog  of  whose  gigantic  size  they  had  heard 
so  much  gossip.  It  is  also  not  difficult  to  imagine  the 
terror  of  the  poor  slave,  as  he  lay  in  his  chains  awaiting 
the  call  to  struggle  for  his  life  with  a  ferocious  hound. 

At  length,  however,  the  king  and  his  courtiers 
arrived  at  the  amphitheater,  and  the  shouts  of  the 


A   TOWN   NAMED    FOR  A   DOG        13 

people  gave  place  to  a  sudden  silence,  as  the  slave  was 
led  into  the  arena.  How  his  eyes  must  have  swept  the 
immense,  sandy  space,  in  the  forlorn  hope  that  he  might 
find  some  place  of  refuge!  But,  in  an  instant,  the  door 
to  the  arena  was  opened  again,  and  in  dashed  Perites, 
splendid  in  his  bulk,  with  his  muscles  quivering  from 
excitement,  and  his  great  fangs  showing. 

A  great  outburst  of  applause  must  have  arisen  from 
the  spectators  when  they  saw  the  wonderful  dog,  and 
no  doubt  Alexander  felt  almost  as  proud  as  if  he  had 
won  a  great  battle. 

But,  as  is  so  often  the  case,  his  pride  was  to  receive 
a  severe  blow,  for  Perites  did  not  hurl  himself  at  the 
poor  slave  as  the  spectators  and  Alexander  supposed 
he  would.  Instead,  after  taking  one  good  look  at  the 
slave,  he  lay  down  and  rested  his  great  head  on  his 
paws,  just  as  if  he  were  going  to  settle  down  for  a 
good  sleep. 

At  that  moment,  the  king  of  Albania's  chances  of 
obtaining  favors  from  Alexander  must  have  been  very 
slight.  Undoubtedly,  the  great  Alexander  concluded 
that  the  dog's  former  master  had  been  playing  pranks 
with  him,  and  it  is  remarkable  that  the  quick-tempered 
King  of  Macedonia  did  not  set  out  immediately  to 
punish  the  joker. 

Probably,  however,  Alexander  was  already  so  at- 


14     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

tached  to  Perites  that  he  made  excuses  for  him,  and 
declared  that  the  dog  was  of  too  noble  a  nature  to 
attack  a  harmless  human  being.  In  any  case,  he  gave 
orders  for  the  thankful  slave  to  be  taken  from  the  arena, 
and  for  a  wild  boar,  one  of  the  most  ferocious  of  beasts, 
to  be  brought  in  in  his  place.  The  appearance  of  a 
wild  boar  is  enough  to  strike  terror  to  the  heart  of  any 
dog,  but  Perites  merely  raised  his  head  a  little,  glanced 
lazily  at  the  newcomer,  and  then  resumed  his  former 
air  of  unconcern. 

Determined  to  force  Perites  to  display  his  courage, 
if  he  really  possessed  it,  the  king  called  for  a  bear  to 
be  brought  in  to  face  the  dog.  This  was  done,  and 
though  the  spectators  were  now  on  tiptoe  with  excite- 
ment, Perites  displayed  no  inclination  to  molest  the 
bear,  and  probably  the  bear  concluded  that  it  was  good 
judgment  not  to  arouse  the  enormous  dog,  for  no  fight 
ensued. 

By  this  time,  Alexander's  patience  was  almost  ex- 
hausted, especially  as  he  must  have  known  that  the 
spectators  were  quietly  laughing  at  him;  though,  of 
course,  they  were  too  wise  to  display  any  outward  signs 
of  amusement.  Laughing  at  the  failure  of  kings'  plans 
was  a  very  dangerous  pastime  in  those  days. 

The  king  knew  that  there  was  one  beast  that  would 
not  stay  in  the  arena  for  a  moment  with  Perites,  without 


A   TOWN    NAMED    FOR   A    DOG        15 

forcing  him  to  take  am  interest  in  his  presence.  So  he 
shouted  to  the  attendants  to  turn  a  wild  lion  loose. 

We  can  almost  see  the  spectators  rising  in  their  seats 
when  this  order  was  given.  Very  likely  they  said 
among  themselves,  "This  is  the  end  of  Perites!"  For, 
surely,  no  dog — not  even  one  as  powerful  as  Perites 
appeared  to  be — could  hope  to  live  long  in  a  fight  with 
a  savage  lion. 

At  last,  however,  Alexander's  confidence  in  his  dog's 
valor  was  to  be  justified.  No  sooner  did  Perites's  eyes 
fall  on  the  lion  standing  before  him,  switching  its  tail 
from  side  to  side,  and  roaring  fiercely,  than  he,  too, 
growled  savagely  and  sprang  to  his  feet. 

Then,  indeed,  the  spectators  must  have  trembled  with 
excitement,  as  they  gazed  at  those  two  magnificent 
beasts  facing  each  other  with  their  hair  raised  in  fury. 
For  an  instant,  even  Alexander  must  have  felt  his  heart 
beat  more  rapidly,  when  he  realized  how  slight  a 
chance  his  dog  could  have  against  such  a  foe. 

But,  as  the  king  sat  with  his  eyes  fastened  on  the  two 
animals,  whose  straining  muscles  stood  out  clearly  in 
the  bright  sunlight,  he  saw  Perites  crouch  suddenly  in 
preparation  for  a  spring;  and  as  the  voices  of  the 
spectators  died  away  to  an  amazed  hush,  the  great  dog 
hurled  himself  at  the  lion  and  bore  him  to  the  ground. 
There  was  a  quick,  terrifying  struggle,  and  Perites 


1 6     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

stood,  with  head  erect,  over  the  body  of  his  defeated 
and  dead  adversary. 

In  an  instant  all  doubt  of  the  dog's  courage  fled  from 
the  minds  of  the  multitude,  and  an  ear-splitting  cheer 
arose  as  the  spectators  proclaimed  Perites  the  king  of 
dogs.  Monarch  though  he  was,  we  may  be  sure  that 
Alexander  dashed  into  the  inclosure  and  made  much 
of  the  noble  Perites,  who  had  shown  by  his  refusal  to 
attack  the  first  three  antagonists,  that  the  king  of 
animals  was  the  only  one  he  considered  worthy  of  his 
fighting  qualities. 

From  that  day,  Perites  was  second  only  to  Buce- 
phalus in  Alexander's  affections.  He  accompanied  his 
royal  master  on  all  occasions,  and,  one  day,  probably 
during  Alexander's  invasion  of  India,  an  event  occurred 
that  established  Perites'  reputation  for  dauntlessness 
more  firmly  than  ever. 

At  times,  elephants,  who  usually  appear  to  be  the 
most  docile  of  animals,  become  exceedingly  dangerous 
and  attack  any  person,  or  beast,  that  crosses  their  path. 
It  is  quite  likely  that  Alexander,  while  leading  his 
forces  through  the  thick  jungle  in  India,  was  set  upon 
by  one  of  these  mad  elephants.  Whether  this  was  the 
case,  or  not,  we  read  that  on  one  occasion  Perites  had 
an  encounter  with  one  of  these  enormous  animals.  The 
fight  once  begun,  Perites  sprang,  repeatedly,  at  his 


A  TOWN   NAMED    FOR  A   DOG        17 

gigantic  foe  with  such  ferocity,  that  the  clumsy  ele- 
phant was  at  its  wit's  end  how  to  avoid  the  dog's  fangs 
which  were  wounding  its  tender  trunk.  Try  as  it  might 
to  seize  the  dog  with  its  trunk,  or  to  trample  its  adver- 
sary under  its  mighty  feet,  the  great  creature  could  not 
succeed  in  ridding  itself  of  its  smaller  foe. 

Of  course  it  was  evident  that  Perites  could  not  hope 
to  conquer  an  enemy  so  many  times  larger  and  more 
powerful  than  himself,  yet  his  bold  heart  refused  to  be 
daunted,  and  he  persisted  in  his  savage  assaults. 

Finally,  the  elephant's  alarming  trumpetings  ceased 
and  the  great  beast  staggered  feebly,  as  it  attempted  to 
escape  through  the  dense  undergrowth.  Perites,  how- 
ever, was  not  to  be  shaken  off  so  easily,  and  pursued  his 
enemy  relentlessly.  And  then  an  event  occurred  that 
filled  Alexander  and  his  officers  with  amazement.  For 
the  elephant,  with  one  last  despairing  trumpeting,  fell 
to  the  earth  dead.  The  poor  creature's  heart  was 
broken  by  its  failure  to  defeat  its  antagonist. 

Thereafter,  Alexander  had  little  cause  to  fear  the 
attack  of  any  enemy,  as  long  as  Perites  was  by  his  side ; 
but,  alas,  soon  after  this  display  of  his  daring,  this 
wonderful  dog  was  called  upon  to  give  his  life  for 
his  master. 

It  appears  that  one  night,  when  Alexander  was 
asleep  in  his  tent,  an  enemy  crept  in  with  a  dagger  in 


1 8     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

his  hand,  and  stepped  stealthily  toward  the  king's  bed. 
Perites,  alert  as  ever,  sprang  at  the  intruder's  throat 
and  bore  the  would-be  murderer  to  the  ground.  The 
faithful  dog  saved  his  royal  master's  life,  but  he  re- 
ceived a  stab,  which  caused  his  death,  from  the  enemy's 
poisoned  dagger. 

The  king  was  deeply  distressed  by  the  loss  of  his 
brave  guardian  and  comrade,  and  did  everything  in  his 
power  to  express  to  the  world  the  sincerity  of  his  grief. 
He  erected  several  temples  in  honor  of  the  dead  Perites 
and  even  had  a  town  built  in  memory  of  the  valorous 
animal.  This  town  was  called  Perite,  and,  probably, 
was  the  only  one  that  was  ever  built  in  honor  of  a  dog's 
memory. 


CHAPTER   III 
A   MAD    EMPEROR'S    FAVORITE 

A  LITTLE  more  than  four  hundred  years  after 
Alexander  the  Great  built  a  town  to  keep  the 
memory  of  his  well-loved  dog  in  the  minds  of  his 
people,  a  Roman  emperor  went  to  still  greater  lengths 
in  honor  of  a  horse.  This  emperor  was  Caligula,  who 
ruled  the  mighty  Roman  nation  from  37-41,  A.  D.,  and 
whose  name,  even  after  all  the  years  that  have  passed 
since  he  lived,  is  used  as  an  epithet  for  cruelty  and 
wickedness. 

No  one  would  ever  have  supposed,  at  the  time  that 
Caligula  was  a  very  young  man,  that  when  he  came  to 
rule  the  country  he  would  be  a  cruel,  vicious  despot. 
His  father,  Germanicus,  was  a  kindly,  vigorous  soldier- 
prince,  who,  like  all  loving  and  good  fathers,  no  doubt 
indulged  in  many  a  day  dream  in  which  he  saw  his 
dear  son  a  great  and  beloved  ruler. 

It  is  possible  that  Caligula  inherited  some  of  his  bad 
traits  from  his  mother,  Agrippina,  who  was  a  proud, 
vain  and  passionate  woman;  but  after  all,  the  kindest 
thought  that  we  can  have  about  him  is  to  consider  that 

19 


20     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

he  was  not  in  his  right  mind.  No  one  could  have  had 
a  better  opportunity,  than  he,  to  become  a  great  soldier 
and  a  leader  of  armies.  For  he  was  born  at  the  great 
military  camp  at  Antium,  and  the  first  sounds  that 
greeted  his  ears  must  have  been  the  clashing  of  armor 
and  spears,  as  the  troops  drilled  on  the  plains  around 
him.  He  was  educated  in  this  bustling  army  center, 
and  he  even  owed  his  name  to  the  soldiers  who  nick- 
named him  Caligula,  on  account  of  the  caliga,  or 
military  boots,  that  he  loved  to  strut  about  in. 

As  a  youth,  he  entered  politics  and  soon  became  a 
very  powerful  statesman.  To  everyone's  delight,  no 
doubt,  he  showed  at  this  time  a  decided  inclination  to 
grant  more  liberties  to  the  people,  and  to  improve  social 
conditions  generally.  We  can  believe  that  the  people 
at  their  gatherings  discussed,  with  enthusiasm,  the  im- 
provements that  the  young  prince  favored,  and  they 
must  have  looked  forward  with  pleasure  to  the  day 
when  he  would  rule  them,  in  place  of  his  wicked  uncle, 
Tiberius.  But,  alas,  they  were  soon  to  be  sadly 
disappointed. 

We,  who  live  in  democratic  countries  whose  govern- 
ments allow  us  to  own  property,  and  to  do  as  we  please 
with  it,  as  long  as  we  are  good  citizens,  can  scarcely 
realize  the  bad  treatment  that  most  of  the  people  had 
to  submit  to  in  the  days  of  Caligula.  Then,  if  one 


The  Emperor  Caligula  on  his  charger  Incitatus,  who  fed  from  an 
ivory  manger. 


A    MAD    EMPEROR'S    FAVORITE       21 

happened  to  be  born  a  Patrician,  that  is,  an  aristocrat, 
he  enjoyed  life  and  was  able  to  wear  the  best  clothes 
and  eat  the  choicest  food,  as  well  as  to  spend  the  greater 
part  of  his  time  in  amusing  himself.  But  the  Plebeians, 
or  ordinary  people,  as  we  would  call  them,  had  a  rather 
miserable  existence. 

As  a  rule,  they  did  not  have  much  that  they  could 
call  their  own ;  and,  even  if  they  did  succeed  in  getting 
ahead  a  little,  they  never  knew  when  their  possessions 
would  be  seized  by  someone  in  authority.  So  that  we 
can  easily  understand  why  Caligula's  efforts  to  better 
things,  when  he  first  entered  public  life,  aroused  the 
hopes  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people. 

It  is  hard  to  say  why  the  young  emperor  changed  so. 
It  may  have  been  because  his  father  and  mother  died 
when  he  was  quite  young,  and  he  was  left  to  the  bad 
influence  of  his  uncle;  or,  perhaps,  he  lost  his  mind  on 
account  of  the  epileptic  fits  from  which  he  suffered. 
He  used,  also,  to  lie  awake,  night  after  night,  unable 
to  sleep.  If  this  had  happened  in  later  years,  we  should 
not  be  so  much  surprised,  for  his  cruel  and  foolish  acts 
were  enough  to  cause  anyone  to  suffer  from  sleep- 
lessness. 

Some  people  thought  that  stepping  suddenly  into  the 
possession  of  such  vast  power  as  he  grasped,  when  he 
became  emperor  of  the  greatest  nation  in  the  world, 


22     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

upset  Caligula's  balance.  We  have  all  seen  cases  in 
our  times,  when  men  who  have  suddenly  come  into  the 
control  of  great  wealth,  or  immense  power,  have  seem- 
ingly gone  mad  in  their  desire  to  dazzle  the  world. 
And  this  seems  to  have  been  the  case  with  Caligula,  for 
soon  after  he  came  to  the  throne  he  began  to  waste 
money  in  such  a  way,  that  it  seemed  as  if  he  was  trying 
to  show  the  world  that  he  could  spend  more  money  than 
anyone  else. 

The  people  were  probably  rather  amused  when  he 
gave  theatrical  performances  in  different  parts  of  the 
city;  but,  when  he  arranged  for  these  plays  to  take 
place  at  night,  which  was  unusual  then,  and  insisted 
that  the  whole  city  must  be  illuminated,  the  taxpayers 
must  have  begun  to  grumble  at  the  expense.  And  what 
would  we  think,  nowadays,  of  a  ruler  who  dissolved 
almost  priceless  pearls  in  vinegar,  and  then  drank  the 
mixture? 

Caligula  had  only  been  emperor  for  about  eight 
months  when  he  became  very  ill  from  a  nervous  break- 
down. After  a  while,  he  recovered  his  former  physical 
strength,  such  as  it  was,  but  his  actions,  thereafter, 
show  that  he  was  never  quite  right  mentally. 

Everyone  admires  a  man  who  is  fond  of  animals, 
but  only  a  lunatic  could  have  paid  the  absurd  attentions 
to  horses  that  this  emperor,  who  was  being  watched  by 


A    MAD    EMPEROR'S    FAVORITE       23 

the  world,  did.  And,  if  the  people  had  not  been  so 
accustomed  to  being  oppressed,  they  surely  never  would 
have  allowed  Caligula  to  waste  their  money  in  such  a 
ridiculous  manner.  It  is  certain  that  no  nation,  in 
these  days,  would  sit  still  and  allow  its  monarch,  or 
President,  to  spend  over  one  hundred  million  dollars 
in  less  than  five  years,  simply  for  his  own  amusement. 
It  would  not  take  the  people  long  to  revolt  and  remove 
the  spendthrift. 

There  was,  in  Rome,  a  large  circus,  or  hippodrome, 
known  as  the  Circus  Maximus,  or  Great  Circus.  It 
was  an  oblong  inclosure,  two  thousand  feet  long  and 
about  six  hundred  feet  wide.  On  three  sides  of  it,  rows 
of  stone  seats  for  the  spectators  rose  in  tiers  one  above 
the  other,  and  in  the  center  there  was  a  course  for  the 
chariot  races.  In  this  circus,  sports  of  all  kinds  took 
place,  but  the  Romans  probably  enjoyed  the  chariot 
races  more  than  any  of  the  other  trials  of  skill. 

As  Caligula's  insanity  showed  itself  more  strongly 
in  his  treatment  of  horses  than  in  any  other  direction, 
it  was  natural  that  he  should  be  a  great  patron  of  these 
chariot  races.  We  have  all  seen  these  races  imitated  at 
the  circuses  of  our  times,  and  we  know  that  there  is 
an  element  of  danger  to  them,  though  the  drivers  are 
trained  to  keep  out  of  one  another's  way.  How  much 
more  exciting  those  races  at  the  Roman  circus  must 


24     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

have  been!  Then,  the  drivers  had  no  thought  for  their 
own  safety,  but  forced  their  half-wild  horses  to  their 
utmost  speed,  and  cheerfully  took  any  risk  of  death 
to  gain  the  praise  of  their  emperor  and  of  the  thousands 
of  spectators.  And,  though  it  seems  strange  to  us, 
because  we  are  always  filled  with  horror  if  an  accident 
occurs  when  we  are  at  a  circus,  the  crowds  that  attended 
the  performances,  in  those  days,  seemed  to  think  that 
it  added  to  the  excitement  if  the  chariots  collided  and 
the  drivers  were  killed,  or  injured. 

No  one  could  blame  Caligula  for  being  interested  in 
this  sport,  but  he  could  not  even  enjoy  this  form  of 
amusement  without  spending  money  foolishly.  And 
he  became  so  attached  to  one  set  of  charioteers  who 
wore  a  green  uniform,  that  he  had  his  meals  served, 
and  spent  several  nights,  at  the  stable  where  their  horses 
were  kept.  It  is  possible  that  he  had  bet  a  great  deal 
of  money  on  the  horses  and  feared  that  someone  might 
injure  them,  but  it  is  more  likely  that  he  had  already 
begun  to  think  that  his  horses  were  more  worthy  of 
consideration,  than  his  people. 

Naturally  a  man  who  wasted  money,  as  Caligula  did, 
would  not  spare  any  expense  when  he  came  to  build  a 
stable  for  his  favorite  horse,  Incitatus.  So  that  we  are 
not  surprised  to  read  that  Incitatus  lived  in  a  marble 
palace,  and  that  his  manger  was  carved  out  of  ivory. 


A   MAD    EMPEROR'S    FAVORITE       25 

Of  course  all  this  grandeur  did  not  make  Incitatus  any 
more  comfortable,  but  it  was  done,  just  as  everything 
was  done  by  Caligula,  for  the  purpose  of  gratifying 
this  wicked  man's  vanity. 

Then,  too,  this  silly  emperor  built  a  palace  and  had 
it  fully  furnished  with  the  most  expensive  furniture, 
all  for  the  horse's  use.  He  appointed  a  number  of 
slaves  to  wait  on  Incitatus,  and  to  receive  the  guests 
who  were  invited  to  dine  with  the  horse.  The  dinner 
parties  given  by  Incitatus  were  very  elaborate  affairs, 
and  on  these  occasions  the  horse  was  fed  on  oats  that 
had  been  dipped  in  molten  gold. 

Poor  Incitatus  must  have  dreaded  these  banquets, 
and  it  is  remarkable  that,  being  fed  on  such  an  indi- 
gestible diet,  he  lived  as  long  as  he  did.  Of  course  he 
may  have  felt  that,  being  an  emperor's  horse,  he  had 
to  do  a  great  many  things  that  he  would  rather  not  have 
done.  Just  as  we  often  see  people  eating  rich  food,  and 
living  uncomfortable  lives,  because  they  believe  they 
have  to  live  up  to  their  positions,  though  they  would 
much  sooner  be  living  a  simpler  life,  and  would  be  very 
glad  indeed  to  enjoy  one  good,  homelike  meal. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  if  Caligula  was  as 
cruel  to  this  favorite  horse,  as  he  usually  was  to  people 
and  animals.  It  does  not  at  all  follow  that,  because  he 
surrounded  Incitatus  with  luxuries,  he  was  good  to  him 


26     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

in  other  ways.  One  of  Caligula's  peculiarities  was, 
that  his  friends  never  knew  when  he  might  turn  on 
them  and  treat  them  as  badly  as  he  did  his  worst 
enemies. 

On  one  occasion,  he  behaved  to  his  guests  in  a  manner 
that  showed  how  dangerous  it  was  to  depend,  in  the 
slightest  degree,  on  his  friendship.  It  seems  that  he 
took  it  into  his  head  that  riding  on  land  was  very  com- 
monplace. So  he  had  a  bridge,  almost  four  miles  long, 
built  over  the  water,  and  rode  over  it  at  the  head  of  his 
soldiers,  pretending  that  he  was  riding  on  the  water. 
The  most  absurd  part  of  this  silly  procession  was,  that 
the  soldiers  carried  flags  to  celebrate  Caligula's  victory 
over  Neptune,  the  god  of  the  sea. 

How  even  his  guests  must  have  laughed  at  their  hostl 
But  they  did  not  have  a  chance  to  laugh  long,  for,  when 
the  procession  was  over,  Caligula  had  a  number  of 
them  thrown  into  the  sea,  as  a  fitting  end  to  the  day 
that  he  was  enjoying  so  much.  So,  it  is  plain  that, 
even  if  he  was  supplied  with  an  ivory  manger  to  eat 
from,  Incitatus  could  not  at  all  depend  on  kind  treat- 
ment from  his  changeable  master. 

The  sports  at  the  great  circus  were  known  as  the 
Circensian  games,  and  the  day  before  these  were  to 
take  place,  Caligula  used  to  have  soldiers  stationed  near 
the  stable  in  which  Incitatus  stood,  to  compel  the 


A    MAD    EMPEROR'S    FAVORITE       27 

people  to  keep  silent  so  -that  his  horse  might  not  be 
disturbed.  It  would  be  pretty  hard  to  keep  people 
quiet  in  a  big  city,  in  these  days,  for  a  horse's  sake,  even 
if  soldiers  were  standing  about,  or  policemen  either, 
for  that  matter. 

As  time  went  on,  the  mad  emperor  became  more 
and  more  ridiculous  in  his  treatment  of  Incitatus. 
Finally,  he  had  the  horse  made  a  member  of  the  college 
of  priests,  and  as  if  this  was  not  absurd  enough,  fully 
intended  to  have  him  raised  to  the  consulate,  when,  for- 
tunately, the  pampered  animal  died;  perhaps  from  too 
many  gilded  oats. 

Of  course  we  cannot  believe  all  that  we  read  about 
Incitatus.  But  it  is  certain  that  if  Caligula  had  not 
behaved  very  foolishly  about  this  horse,  none  of  the 
stories  would  have  been  written.  The  worst  part  of  it 
is,  that  Incitatus  does  not  seem  to  have  done  anything 
to  merit  all  these  attentions.  Had  he  been  a  hero,  like 
Bucephalus,  we  should  be  glad  to  know  that  he  was 
being  rewarded  for  his  bravery.  But  we  may  be  sure 
that  he  would  have  been  much  happier  at  large  in  a 
field  of  sweet,  green  grass  than  in  a  marble  palace,  how- 
ever artistic  it,  and  its  ivory  manger,  may  have  been. 

As  it  is,  we  can  but  sympathize  with  him  for  being 
famous  only  because  he  was  one  of  the  many  examples 
of  a  mad  emperor's  folly. 


CHAPTER   IV 
A    GIANT'S    CHARGER 

THE  quaint  old  story  that  follows,  is  told  about  a 
man  who  undoubtedly  lived  in  the  time  of 
Charlemagne,  the  great  king  of  the  Franks  and  Em- 
peror of  the  West.  Of  course  we  cannot  be  sure  that 
the  story  is  very  true,  because  in  those  days — over  eleven 
hundred  years  ago — authors  were  not  as  particular 
about  their  facts  as  they  are  nowadays.  Still,  we  can- 
not help  hoping  that  the  wonderful  horse,  that  we  read 
about,  did  exist,  and  that  he  was  as  faithful  to  his  master 
as  the  historians  tell  us  he  was. 

The  horse  was  called  BroiefTort,  and  we  are  told  that 
he  was  a  tremendous  fellow,  and  the  possessor  of  great 
strength  and  speed.  In  fact,  as  Ogier,  the  Dane,  Broie- 
ffort's  master,  is  said  to  have  been  a  real  giant,  an 
ordinary  horse  would  never  have  been  able  to  carry 
him;  so  that  it  is  very  easy  to  believe  that  Broieffort 
was  a  giant  too. 

Ogier  was  the  son  of  Duke  Godfrey,  of  Denmark, 
and  when  he  was  very  young  was  sent  to  Charlemagne's 

28 


A    GIANT'S    CHARGER  29 

court.  It  seems  that  his  father  was  too  proud  to  do 
homage  to  Charlemagne — that  is,  to  acknowledge  him 
as  his  master— so  he  sent  his  son  to  the  court  as  a 
hostage.  This  meant  that  if  Charlemagne  had  wished 
to  punish  Godfrey  for  his  pride,  he  had  poor  Ogier  at 
hand  to  ill-treat,  which  makes  us  have  rather  a  poor 
opinion  of  Godfrey  for  placing  his  son  in  such  a 
risky  position. 

Soon  after  Ogier  went  to  live  at  Charlemagne's  court, 
however,  the  powerful  king  was  called  upon  by  the 
Pope  of  Rome  to  come  to  his  aid  against  the  Saracens, 
or  Arabs,  who  were  about  to  attack  him.  Ogier  gladly 
accompanied  Charlemagne's  army,  and  in  the  battle 
that  followed  distinguished  himself  very  greatly.  It 
appears  that  the  Arabs  were  winning  the  battle,  and  the 
retreating  Prankish  soldiers  were  in  danger  of  losing 
their  flag,  which  would  have  been  considered  a  great 
disgrace.  But  the  brave  young  Ogier  sprang  forward, 
knocked  the  cowardly  standard-bearer  down,  and, 
holding  the  flag  aloft,  called  on  the  fleeing  troops  to 
follow  him.  He  then  charged  at  the  enemy's  ranks, 
followed  by  the  heartened  Franks,  and  the  tide  of  battle 
quickly  turned  in  Charlemagne's  favor. 

As  he  plunged  into  the  thick  of  the  fight,  Ogier  came 
face  to  face  with  Brunamont,  an  Arab  chief,  who  was 
mounted  on  a  magnificent,  great  horse.  After  a  des- 


30     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

perate  struggle,  Ogier  hurled  Brunamont  from  his 
saddle  and,  as  conqueror,  took  possession  of  his  foe's 
armor  and  horse.  Thus  he  became  owner  of  Broieffort, 
who  was  to  be  such  a  faithful  servant  ever  after. 

Not  satisfied,  however,  with  all  that  he  had  already 
done,  young  Ogier  presently,  in  the  midst  of  the  raging 
battle,  came  across  the  king  who  had  been  unseated 
from  his  horse  and  was  being  set  upon  by  two  fierce 
Arabs.  Ogier  flung  himself  at  the  king's  assailants, 
and  soon  drove  them  off;  and  indeed  they  must  have 
been  very  much  alarmed  when  they  saw  Ogier  wearing 
their  chief's  armor  and  riding  his  well-known  steed. 

After  the  battle  had  been  won,  Ogier  and  a  number 
of  other  young  warriors  brought  the  flag  that  they  had 
saved  to  their  king  and  proudly  laid  it  at  his  feet.  For 
his  great  services,  the  king  embraced  the  young  Dane, 
and  made  him  a  knight,  so  that  the  poor  hostage  now 
became  a  great  favorite  at  court.  For,  in  those  days, 
when  a  great  man  honored  a  person,  that  person  sud- 
denly became  a  great  favorite  with  everybody. 

After  some  years,  Ogier  married  and  had  a  son.  He 
brought  his  little  boy  to  the  court,  and  the  king  relieved 
Ogier  of  his  hostageship,  so  that  he  became  a  free  man. 
Unfortunately,  just  as  all  was  going  so  well  for  Ogier, 
the  king's  son,  Chariot,  grew  very  jealous  of  all  the 
favors  that  his  father  was  showing  to  the  one-time 


A    GIANT'S    CHARGER  31 

hostage.  Not  only  was  Chariot  jealous  of  Ogier,  but 
he  took  a  great  dislike  to  the  Dane's  son,  Balduinet. 
One  day,  when  the  boys  were  playing  chess  together, 
a  serious  quarrel  took  place  between  them,  and  Chariot, 
in  a  fit  of  rage,  struck  Balduinet  over  the  head  with  the 
chessboard  and  killed  him. 

Undoubtedly,  he  was  very,  very  sorry  when  he 
realized  what  he  had  done,  and  perhaps  if  he  had  gone 
to  Ogier  and  explained  that  he  did  not  mean  to  kill 
his  boy,  all  might  have  ended  well.  But  he  did  not 
do  this,  and  so  when  Ogier  heard  the  news  he  probably 
thought  that  Chariot  had  killed  Balduinet  intentionally. 
He  set  out  at  once  to  look  for  Chariot,  but  when  the 
young  prince  heard  that  Ogier  was  coming,  he  ran  at 
full  speed  to  his  father,  the  king,  for  protection. 

Poor  Ogier  was  so  enraged  and  distressed  at  the 
death  of  his  little  son  that  he  followed  Chariot  into 
Charlemagne's  presence,  and  there  would  have  been  a 
still  greater  tragedy  had  not  the  courtiers  prevented  it. 
For  Ogier  tried  hard  to  kill  the  king  as  well  as  his  son, 
and,  though  he  was  prevented,  he  swore  that  he  would 
never  be  satisfied  until  he  had  revenged  himself  on 
Chariot. 

Of  course,  after  this,  Ogier  had  to  leave  the  court, 
for  the  king  and  his  son  could  never  feel  safe  with  the 
vengeful  Dane  nearby.  So  Ogier  fled,  with  a  number 


32     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

of  friends  who  sympathized  with  him,  and  shut  himself 
up  in  his  castle  which  was  called  Beaufort. 

When  he  had  gathered  his  army  together,  Charle- 
magne followed  Ogier  to  Beaufort  and  for  seven  long 
years  besieged  the  castle.  But  it  was  no  easy  matter  to 
conquer  Ogier,  who,  when  he  was  least  expected,  would 
charge  out  with  his  brave  men  and  secure  food,  besides 
killing  many  of  Charlemagne's  men.  One  of  the  king's 
men  invented  a  machine  that  threw  fire  into  the  castle 
and  burnt  up  everything  inside,  so  that  we  see  that  this 
kind  of  warfare  was  used  many,  many  years  before  the 
Great  War.  Even  this  kind  of  attack  did  not  dis- 
courage Ogier,  however,  for  he  and  his  men  charged 
out  and  smashed  the  machine  into  a  thousand  pieces. 

As  the  fight  went  on  from  day  to  day,  with  little  hope 
of  success,  young  Chariot  became  still  more  sorry  for 
what  he  had  done,  and  several  times  made  offers  of 
friendship  to  Ogier.  But  the  stern  Dane  always  re- 
plied, "A  life  for  a  life!"  and  continued  to  fight  on 
against  hopeless  odds. 

At  last  the  time  came  when  all  of  Ogier's  followers 
were  killed,  and  he  was  left  alone  with  Broieffort  to 
defend  the  castle.  One  would  suppose  that  Ogier  would 
have  listened  to  Chariot's  offers  now.  But  he  thought 
of  a  plan  that  turned  out  to  be  very  successful.  He 
knew  that  if  Charlemagne  discovered  that  he  alone  was 


A    GIANT'S    CHARGER  33 

the  only  defender  of  the  castle,  the  king  would  soon 
break  in  and  capture,  or  kill,  him.  So  he  made  a  num- 
ber of  imitation  soldiers  out  of  wood,  and  stood  them 
up  on  the  battlements  where  the  king  could  see  them. 
To  make  them  look  a  little  more  lifelike,  Ogier  pulled 
the  'hair  from  Broieffort's  tail  and  made  wigs  and 
whiskers  for  the  wooden  soldiers. 

Charlemagne  was  much  alarmed,  and  greatly 
puzzled,  when  he  saw  this  fresh  army,  for  he  had  made 
up  his  mind  that  almost  all  those  in  the  castle  must  be 
dead.  He  could  not  imagine  how  these  fresh  men  got 
into  the  castle,  or  where  Ogier  found  them,  and  he 
thought  it  was  rather  useless  to  continue  the  siege,  if 
the  Dane  could  replace  the  soldiers  as  fast  as  they  were 
killed.  Accordingly,  he  rode  out  in  front  of  the  castle 
and  delivered  a  long  speech  to  these  dummy  defenders. 
He  told  them  that  he  would  pardon  them  all  if  they 
would  give  up  Ogier  to  him,  and  he  offered  them  many 
rewards  if  they  would  come  and  join  his  army.  It  must 
have  been  very  discouraging  to  talk  on  and  on  earnestly, 
as  he  did,  and  to  find  that  he  was  making  no  impression 
on  his  hearers ;  for  the  wooden  soldiers  made  no  reply 
to  him,  and  finally  he  concluded  that  their  loyalty  was 
too  great  to  be  upset. 

By  this  time,  Ogier  'had  become  very  despondent 
from  being  all  alone,  without  food,  and  with  no  oppo- 


34     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

tunity  of  getting  it.  For  he  did  not  dare  to  venture  out 
alone  in  search  of  provisions  for  himself  and  his  horse. 
At  last  he  decided  that  he  must  choose  between  an 
attempt  to  fight  his  way  out  in  daylight,  which  he  knew 
was  hopeless,  and  an  escape  at  night.  Finally,  he  de- 
cided to  leave  the  castle  at  midnight,  and,  aided  by  a 
thick  mist,  and  the  intelligence  of  BroiefTort,  who 
stepped  very  lightly  and  cautiously  between  the  lines  of 
Charlemagne's  sleeping  soldiers,  he  escaped. 

When  the  king  discovered  that  his  enemy  had  tricked 
him,  he  called  all  the  peers  before  him,  and  forced 
them  to  swear  that  they  would  never  give  Ogier  a 
chance  to  escape  if  they  ever  found  him  again.  Among 
these  peers,  or  lords,  was  Turpin,  the  archbishop  of 
Rheims,  that  town  in  which  stood  the  beautiful  cathe- 
dral that  was  destroyed  in  the  Great  War. 

Had  it  not  been  for  Broieffort's  vigilance  and 
fidelity,  Ogier  would  soon  have  been  captured,  for, 
thoroughly  exhausted,  he  grew  a  little  careless  and 
flung  himself  on  the  ground  for  a  nap.  The  wide- 
awake Broieffort,  though  he,  too,  must  have  been  very, 
very  weary,  heard  his  master's  enemies  drawing  near, 
and  stamped  with  his  hoofs  so  hard  on  the  ground, 
that  his  master  was  aroused  in  time  to  spring  on  his 
watchful  charger's  back  and  escape. 

On  another  occasion,  however,  fortune  turned  against 


A   GIANT'S    CHARGER  3$ 

Ogier,  and  he  was  captured.  It  appears  that  he  came 
to  a  lake  around  which  luxuriant  grass  grew,  and  as 
poor  Broieffort  had  had  no  food  all  that  day,  Ogier 
took  off  the  horse's  saddle  and  bridle  and  turned  him 
loose  to  graze.  After  he  had  attended  to  fais  horse's 
needs,  the  good  Ogier  removed  his  own  sword  and 
armor  and  lay  down  to  sleep.  Unfortunately,  at  this 
moment,  Turpin,  the  old  archbishop,  discovered  him. 
Now  Turpin  admired  Ogier  very  much,  and  did  not 
at  all  want  to  take  him  prisoner,  but  he  had  sworn  to  the 
king  to  do  so,  and  of  course  had  to  keep  his  oath. 

Consequently,  he  ordered  his  men  to  bind  the  sleep- 
ing giant,  and  to  catch  his  horse.  No  doubt  the  men 
were  just  as  well  pleased  to  have  the  chance  of  taking 
Ogier  while  he  was  asleep,  for  it  would  have  been 
rather  a  serious  undertaking  to  tie  him  if  he  had  been 
prepared.  When  the  prisoner  had  been  securely 
bound,  Turpin  took  him  to  Rheims.  So  that  we  see 
that  all  this  is  said  to  have  taken  place  in  a  part  of  the 
world  that  has  been  very  much  talked  about  of  late. 

The  king  was  delighted  to  hear  that  his  powerful 
enemy  was  captured  at  last,  and  at  once  made  up  his 
mind  to  put  Ogier  to  death.  But  the  prince,  Chariot, 
pleaded  hard  for  the  man  to  whom  he  had  done  so 
great  an  injury,  and  the  king  agreed,  at  last,  to  Ogier's 
imprisonment  On  the  face  of  it,  this  decision  seemed 


36     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

kind,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  Charlemagne  had  quite 
made  up  his  mind  to  get  rid  of  Ogier.  So  he  gave 
secret  orders  to  Turpin  that  the  prisoner  was  to  have 
only  one-quarter  of  a  slice  of  bread,  one-quarter  of  a 
piece  of  meat,  and  one-quarter  of  a  cup  of  wine  every 
day;  believing  that  on  such  short  rations  Ogier  would 
soom  starve  to  death. 

But  good  old  Turpin  at  once  thought  of  a  plan,  by 
which  he  could  obey  the  king's  orders  and  yet  preserve 
Ogier's  life.  Accordingly,  he  had  huge  loaves  of  bread 
baked,  so  that  one-quarter  of  a  slice  was  a  great  deal 
larger  than  an  ordinary  loaf ;  he  also  had  an  enormous 
beaker,  or  pitcher,  made,  from  which  the  wine  was  to 
be  poured,  and  gave  orders  that  the  meat  was  to  be 
cut  from  a  whole  lamb  or  pig. 

After  Ogier  had  been  cast  into  prison,  the  king  gave 
BroiefTort  to  an  abbot.  When  the  priest,  who  was  lean 
and  light  in  weight,  mounted  the  great  horse,  BroiefTort, 
surprised  at  the  sudden  change  from  carrying  his  heavy 
master,  played  and  kicked  up  his  heels.  And,  when  the 
abbot's  robes  began  to  tickle  his  sides,  the  horse  ran 
away  with  great  leaps  along  the  mountain  passes  until 
he  came  to  a  convent,  when  he  threw  the  old  abbot  off 
in  sight  of  the  abbess  and  all  the  nuns.  This  was  very 
embarrassing  for  the  abbot,  and  it  made  him  so  angry 
that  he  turned  BroiefTort  over  to  some  workmen,  who 


A    GIANT'S    CHARGER  37 

made  him  drag  stones  for  the  new  chapel  that  was  being 
built.  And  so,  ill-fed  and  hard  worked,  poor  Broie- 
ffort  passed  several  unhappy  years. 

In  the  mean  time,  Charlemagne  was  becoming  much 
alarmed  because  he  was  threatened  by  two  armies. 
Ogier's  friends  were  coming  to  liberate  their  hero,  and 
the  Saracens,  under  Bruhier,  Sultan  of  Arabia,  were 
on  their  way  to  Paris.  In  this  emergency,  Turpin  and 
the  other  peers  begged  Charlemagne  to  release  Ogier, 
but  for  some  time  the  king  refused.  At  last,  however, 
when  Bruhier,  who  believed  Ogier  to  be  dead,  offered 
to  fight  any  champion  that  Charlemagne  selected,  and 
to  remove  his  Saracen  army  if  he  were  defeated,  the 
king  decided  that  Ogier  was  the  only  one  who  could 
save  the  day. 

When  Ogier  had  been  released  and  had  put  on  his 
armor,  the  question  of  a  charger  came  up.  It  was  plain 
that  no  ordinary  horse  could  carry  him  in  such  a 
combat  as  he  would  have  with  Bruhier,  and  he  had 
quite  made  up  his  mind  that  poor  old  Broieffort  was 
dead.  But  Turpin  knew  where  Broieffort  was,  and 
sent  at  once  for  the  horse. 

We  can  imagine  how  surprised  and  delighted  Ogier 
was  when  his  dear  charger  was  led  out  before  him.  But 
it  was  not  the  same  Broieffort.  Hard  work  and  poor 
food  had  reduced  him  to  a  mere  skeleton,  and  all  his 


38     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

old  spirit  seemed  to  have  left  him.  No  sooner  did  he 
hear  his  beloved  master's  voice,  though,  than  he  dis- 
played the  greatest  delight  and  all  his  old  fire  returned. 

Ogier  shouted  with  joy  when  he  saw  that  Broieffort 
was  his  old  self  again,  for  he  felt  confident  now  that  he 
would  conquer  the  Saracen  chief.  Light-heartedly,  he 
rode  out  to  meet  the  other  giant,  and  before  long  the 
astonished  Bruhier  had  been  tumbled  from  his  horse 
and  killed.  But,  alas,  before  he  was  defeated,  the 
Saracen,  by  a  stroke  of  his  enormous  sword,  had  slain 
poor  Broieffort,  and  Ogier  felt  very,  very  sorry  that 
he  had  not  let  his  brave  horse  go  on  hauling  stones. 
Broieffort,  we  may  be  sure,  would  have  chosen  to  be 
with  his  dear  master  to  the  end,  and,  great  warrior  that 
he  was,  it  was  fitting  that  he  should  die  in  battle. 

After  the  Saracen's  death,  Ogier  took  the  beautiful 
horse  that  he  rode.  This  horse  was  called  Marche- 
ballee,  but  we  may  be  sure  that  Ogier  never  loved  him 
as  he  had  Broieffort. 


CHAPTER   V 
A   PRINCE'S    SAD    MISTAKE 

IN  the  extreme  middle  west  of  Great  Britain,  there  is 
a  country  that  has  always  seemed  to  be  very 
different  from  the  other  parts  of  the  kingdom.  Even 
today  many  of  the  people  who  live  in  this  part  of  the 
British  Isles  speak  a  language  which  cannot  be  under- 
stood by  those  who  live  in  the  other  parts,  and  they 
also  dress  in  pretty  costumes  such  as  were  worn  by 
their  ancestors  hundreds  of  years  ago. 

This  country  is  called  Wales,  and  it  was  only  con- 
quered by  the  English  kings  after  many  centuries  of 
fighting,  for  the  Welsh,  as  the  people  are  called,  are  a 
very  sturdy  and  brave  race.  For  many  years,  however, 
the  Welsh  have  been  very  patriotic,  and  they  are  proud, 
now,  to  think  that  the  heir  to  the  English  crown  bears 
the  title  of  the  Prince  of  Wales. 

One  of  the  last  Welsh  chieftains  to  struggle  success- 
fully against  the  English,  was  a  prince  named  Llewelyn 
ap  lorwerth,  or,  as  he  was  usually  called,  Llewelyn 
the  Great.  He  was  prince  of  North  Wales,  and  very 
soon  showed  his  prowess  as  a  fighter,  for,  when  he  was 

39 


40     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

a  mere  boy,  he  recovered  his  estates  by  going  to  war  for 
them.  Before  many  years  had  passed,  he  was  looked 
upon  as  the  greatest  prince  in  Wales,  and  he  became  so 
important  that  he  married  the  daughter  of  King  John 
of  England.  This  was  the  King  John  who  signed  the 
Magna  Charta  which  was  the  beginning  of  British 
liberty. 

Even  after  Llewelyn  had  married  John's  daughter, 
the  king  fought  with  him  and  conquered  him.  It 
seems  rather  unfriendly  for  a  man  to  go  to  war  with 
his  own  son-in-law,  but  probably  the  English  king  did 
not  like  <to  think  that  Llewelyn  was  not  willing  to  obey 
him.  And,  after  all,  Llewelyn  regained  his  independ- 
ence the  very  next  year. 

At  that  time  Wales  was  divided  into  two  distinct 
countries — North  and  South  Wales — and  the  chieftains 
of  the  two  sections  were  constantly  at  war  with  each 
other.  The  country  is  so  mountainous  and  so  hard  to 
cultivate,  that  the  people  were  great  hunters  as  well 
as  brave  fighters.  Even  nowadays  it  is  not  a  good 
country  for  farming,  though  large  herds  of  cattle  and 
flocks  of  sheep  graze  on  the  mountain  sides,  and  it  is 
also  the  home  in  the  shaggy  Welsh  ponies  that  we  so 
often  see  drawing  Governess  carts. 

Llewelyn  was  a  great  hunter,  and  he  had  a  pet  grey- 
hound, called  Gellert,  or  Killhart,  who  always  accom- 


A    PRINCE'S    SAD    MISTAKE  41 

panied  his  master  on  his  expeditions  in  search  of  game. 
The  dog  was  probably  called  Killhart  because,  being 
so  fleet  of  foot,  he  could  run  down  the  hart,  that  is,  stag 
that  his  master  was  hunting. 

Gellert  was  so  constantly  by  his  master's  side  that 
on  one  occasion,  when  Llewelyn  set  out  with  his  men 
on  a  hunting  expedition,  the  dog's  absence  was  soon 
noticed.  At  first  Llewelyn  did  not  morry  much,  for 
he  thought  his  faithful  pet  would  be  sure  to  scent  him 
out  and  join  him  before  he  had  gone  far.  But  the  day 
passed,  and  still  Gellert  did  not  appear,  so  that  the 
prince  was  very  anxious  about  him  before  the  hunt 
was  over. 

Now  Llewelyn  had  a  little  baby  son,  who  was  to 
be  the  next  prince,  and  of  course  he  loved  his  little  heir 
very  dearly.  So  that,  as  soon  as  he  returned  from  his 
long  tramp  over  the  mountains,  he  went  at  once  to  see 
that  the  little  boy  was  safe  and  well.  For,  in  those  days, 
wild  animals,  such  as  wolves,  used  to  roam  all  over  the 
country  and,  sometimes,  used  to  make  their  way  into 
the  houses  in  search  of  their  prey.  It  seems  that  on  this 
day  the  little  prince  had  been  put  to  sleep  in  his  cradle 
in  a  room  on  the  first  floor  of  the  castle,  and  his  nurse, 
or  the  servant  who  was  supposed  to  guard  him,  had  left 
him  sleeping  and  unwatched. 

As  a  result  of  this  lack  of  care,  when  Llewelyn  en- 


42     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

tered  the  room  his  heart  almost  stopped  beating,  as  he 
saw  that  the  cradle  was  overturned  and  that  the  baby 
had  apparently  been  stolen.  To  make  matters  worse, 
the  prince  saw  at  once  that  a  tremendous  struggle  had 
taken  place  in  the  room,  for  all  the  furniture  was 
broken,  or  disarranged,  and  the  floor  and  walls  were 
spattered  with  blood. 

For  a  moment,  Llewelyn  was  almost  too  much  over- 
come with  grief  to  do  anything,  but  presently  he  began 
to  search  quickly  through  the  room,  in  the  hope  that  he 
might  find  that  his  dear  baby  had  not  been  injured  after 
all.  We  must  remember,  when  we  read  of  what 
Llewelyn  now  did,  that  he  must  have  been  almost 
insane,  from  grief,  at  the  thought  that  his  baby  heir 
had  been  carried  off  by  some  wild  animal. 

In  any  case,  as  he  hunted  frantically  through  the 
room,  he  suddenly  came  on  Gellert  standing  behind  the 
overturned  cradle,  with  his  hair  erect  and  his  fangs 
showing.  To  make  matters  worse,  the  dog's  mouth 
was  stained  with  blood,  and  Llewelyn  thought,  at  once, 
that  instead  of  going  with  him  on  his  hunting  trip, 
Gellert  had  stayed  at  home  and  had  killed  the  baby 
prince. 

We  know  that  it  is  always  foolish  to  give  way  to  a 
sudden  fit  of  rage,  because  we  are  not  able  to  use  our 
best  judgment  at  such  a  time,  and  we  never  can  undo 


A    PRINCE'S    SAD    MISTAKE  43 

the  damage  that  we  may  cause  when  we  are  not  quite 
ourselves.  For  the  rest  of  his  life,  Llewelyn  regretted 
his  hasty  judgment  on  this  occasion.  For  no  sooner  had 
he  seen  the  blood  on  Gellert's  head  and  jaws,  than  he 
entirely  lost  control  of  himself  and  ran  his  sword 
through  the  greyhound's  body. 

He  had  barely  done  this,  before  some  servants  ran 
into  the  room  and  began  to  return  things  to  their  proper 
places.  And,  when  they  turned  the  cradle  over,  there 
lay  the  baby,  entirely  unhurt,  so  that,  in  a  bitter  in- 
stant, Llewelyn  understood  what  had  really  happened. 
The  brave  Gellert,  instead  of  accompanying  his  master, 
had  evidently  seen  that  the  baby  had  been  left  alone, 
and  had  decided  that  it  was  his  duty  to  guard  the  little 
prince.  And,  while  he  was  lying  patiently  and  alert 
by  the  cradle,  a  hungry,  savage  wolf  had  entered  the 
room  and  had  tried  to  carry  off  the  sleeping  child. 

We  can  imagine  what  a  terrific  struggle  the  noble 
greyhound  must  have  had  with  the  wild  beast,  and,  of 
course,  during  the  fight,  the  cradle  was  upset;  but,  for- 
tunately, the  little  prince  fell  under  it  and  was  safely 
hidden  from  the  wolf. 

Great  indeed  must  have  been  Llewelyn's  joy  when 
he  saw  his  little  boy  lying  on  the  cushions  safe  and 
sound;  but,  when  he  turned  to  the  body  of  his  faithful 
hound,  he  felt  that  he  never  could  forgive  himself  for 


44     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

so  rewarding  the  valiant  guardian  of  the  little  prince. 

Near  the  village  of  Beddgellert,  or,  Grave  of  Gel- 
lert,  which  lies  at  the  foot  of  Snowdora,  the  highest 
mountain  in  Wales,  there  is  a  long  green  mound  under 
which  Gellert  is  said  to  have  been  buried.  After  all 
the  long  years  that  have  passed  since  Gellert  met  his 
sad  fate,  there  is  nothing  left  to  mark  his  grave  but  a 
single  rough  stone  that  is  pointed  out  to  visitors.  But, 
it  is  said  that,  in  his  sorrow,  Llewelyn  built  a  parish 
church  over  the  spot  where  he  had  buried  his  devoted 
dog,  and  no  doubt  he  often  went  there  to  grieve  over 
his  hasty  deed. 

This  same  story  of  a  dog  which  was  killed  by  mistake 
after  defending  its  master's  infant,  has  been  told  in 
many  languages,  but  it  seems  as  if  this  must  really  have 
happened  in  Wales  because  the  Welsh  people  often 
say  to  one  another,  "I  am  as  sorry  as  the  man  who  killed 
his  greyhound." 


CHAPTER  VI 
A    DOG   THAT    CHOSE    HIS    MASTER 

WE  are  so  accustomed  to  being  free  to  chose  our 
own  religion  and  to  go  to  the  church  that  we 
like  best,  without  any  interference,  that  it  seems  strange 
to  think  that  many  years  ago  this  was  not  the  case.  Not 
only  did  people  have  very  great  differences  in  their 
beliefs  in  those  days,  but  they  frequently  used  to  have 
wars  on  account  of  them ;  and  sometimes  a  whole  nation 
would  be  persecuted  because  the  people  did  not  believe 
as  some  powerful  king  wished  them  to  do. 

About  the  time  that  William,  Prince  of  Orange  and 
Count  of  Nassau,  was  born,  the  people  of  the  Nether- 
lands did  not  at  all  agree  with  King  Charles  V  of  Spain, 
and  they  were  very  much  oppressed  in  a  good  many 
ways  on  account  of  this  difference  of  opinion. 

William  was  not  born  Prince  of  Orange,  but  his 
cousin  was  killed  in  battle,  and  when  his  will  was  read, 
it  was  found  that  he  had  left  all  his  possessions  and 
titles  to  William. 

When  he  was  young,  William  was  kept  at  the  French 
court  as  a  hostage  to  guarantee  the  carrying  out  of  a 

45 


46     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

treaty  between  France  and  the  Netherlands,  and  it  was 
here  that  he  was  given  the  name  of  William  the  Silent. 
He  was  not  called  "The  Silent"  because  he  did  not  like 
to  talk,  but  because  he  was  very  cautious  about  what 
he  said.  He  could  always  be  trusted  to  keep  an  im- 
portant secret,  so  that  he  soon  became  known  as  a  trust- 
worthy diplomat,  though  he  did  not  show  much  ability 
as  a  general  at  that  time. 

He  does  not  seem  to  have  objected  to  being  held  as  a 
hostage,  and  it  appears  that  he  spent  a  large  part  of 
his  time  at  the  French  Court  in  enjoying  himself.  Un- 
fortunately, he  did  not  show  very  good  judgment  as  far 
as  his  money  matters  were  concerned,  and  spent  a  great 
deal  more  money,  than  he  could  afford,  on  entertaining 
his  friends.  The  consequence  was  that  he  was  soon 
very  much  in  debt,  and  no  doubt  he  wished  very  often 
that  he  had  been  satisfied  with  simpler  pleasures. 

Though  King  Charles  was  anything  but  kind  or 
generous  to  the  people  of  the  Netherlands,  which  we 
usually  call  Holland  now,  his  son  Philip  was  still  more 
cruel  to  them.  So  that,  after  a  time,  the  people  broke 
out  in  a  revolt  against  his  tyranny  and  determined  to 
become  independent  of  him. 

William,  who  had  now  returned  to  Holland,  did  not 
at  all  trust  Philip,  though  the  King  of  Spain  pretended 
to  be  friendly.  So  the  Prince  of  Orange  became  leader 


A  DOG  THAT  CHOSE   HIS   MASTER  47 

of  the  revolt;  though,  when  a  Spanish  army  arrived  in 
Holland,  he  was  compelled  at  first  to  leave  the  country. 

Soon  he  succeeded  in  raising  a  small  army,  however, 
and  he  at  once  set  out  to  liberate  the  people  of  the 
Netherlands,  and  so  began  a  war  that  lasted  for  forty 
years.  At  last  the  Netherlands  began  to  gain,  and 
then  William  was  made  lawful  Stadtholder,  or  chief 
magistrate. 

It  is  very  interesting  to  know  that,  in  this  struggle,  a 
great  deal  of  fighting  took  place  in  and  around  Mons, 
in  Belgium,  where  the  Allies  and  Germans  fought  a 
terrible  battle  in  the  Great  War. 

At  last  the  Netherland  provinces  obtained  their  in- 
dependence, and  William  the  Silent  became  ruler  of 
Holland  and  Zeeland.  The  people  now  loved  William, 
just  as  the  American  colonists  idolized  George  Wash- 
ington after  he  had  led  them  to  victory,  and  we  can 
easily  imagine  how  distressed  everyone  was  when  the 
Prince  of  Orange  was  killed  by  an  assassin  on  July  10, 
1584.  In  fact,  it  is  said  that  the  little  children  stood 
in  the  streets  and  cried,  when  they  heard  that  their 
beloved  prince  was  dead. 

Like  almost  all  great  and  kind  men,  William  loved 
all  dogs,  but  there  was  one  in  particular  to  which  he 
was  very  deeply  attached.  It  seems  that  this  dog  was 
not  wanted  by  anybody,  for  he  had  been  driven  from 


48     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

house  to  house  by  hard-hearted  people,  until  at  last 
one  day  he  succeeded  in  making  his  way  into  William's 
palace,  and  wisely  took  refuge  under  the  good  prince's 
chair. 

It  has  been  said  that  little  children  and  animals 
always  know  at  once  when  people  like  them,  and 
perhaps  they  have  a  particular  sense  that  tells  them 
whether  or  not  a  person  is  kindhearted. 

It  appears  that  this  little  dog  was  driven  from  under 
William's  chair  several  times,  probably  by  the  servants, 
but  that  he  always  succeeded  in  making  his  way  back. 
He  believed,  no  doubt,  that  if  he  kept  up  his  courage 
and  persevered,  he  would  succeed  in  the  end,  and  so  it 
turned  out.  He  always  made  his  arrangements  so  that 
he  managed  to  slip  under  the  prince's  chair  just  about 
meal  time.  We  don't  know  that  William  fed  him  at 
first,  and  probably  he  did  not,  because  he  must  have 
allowed  the  servants  to  turn  the  poor  little  dog  out  on 
several  occasions.  But,  after  his  attention  had  been 
attracted  by  the  wonderful  love  that  the  strange  dog 
showed,  he  began  to  look  for  it  under  the  chair,  and 
thereafter  took  care  that  it  was  well  fed. 

As  soon  as  the  poor  little  dog  saw  that  he  had  been 
successful  in  gaining  even  a  slight  amount  of  attention 
from  the  master  he  had  chosen,  he  jumped  about  and 
licked  the  prince's  hand.  He  continued  to  show  so 


A  DOG  THAT  CHOSE   HIS   MASTER  49 

many  signs  of  delight  and  affection,  that  at  last  William 
felt  that  the  least  he  could  do  was  to  take  care  of  the 
persevering  little  dog.  As  it  turned  out  for  the  prince, 
it  was  a  fortunate  thing  that  he  did  show  kindness  to  the 
little  spaniel,  as  we  shall  see  presently. 

After  this  the  dog,  which  was  now  called  Pompee, 
was  to  be  found  constantly  with  the  prince.  Pompee 
kept  close  by  the  good  William's  side  on  all  the  prince's 
expeditions  and  always  slept  in  front  of  his  dear 
master's  bedroom  door,  so  that  no  one  could  enter  with- 
out the  prince  knowing  about  it.  It  is  said  that  Pompee 
went  with  his  master,  even  to  the  meetings  of  the  men 
who  governed  the  country,  and  if  this  is  so,  we  may  be 
sure  that,  as  he  had  shown  so  much  sense  before,  he  was 
wise  enough  to  lie  perfectly  quiet  while  the  great  men 
were  talking.  It  is  true  that  we  do  hear  that  Pompee 
had  to  be  put  out  of  the  council  chamber  on  one  occa- 
sion, because  he  bothered  his  master  by  jumping  up  at 
him.  But  if  the  truth  were  known,  the  dog  probably 
suspected  that  his  master  was  in  danger,  or,  perhaps  he 
thought  that  the  other  men  were  trying  to  persuade 
the  prince  to  agree  to  something  that  was  not  wise. 

When  the  prince  rode  out  in  the  royal  coach,  Pompee 
used  to  march  along  proudly  by  the  side  of  the  carriage 
with  his  tail  erect,  just  as  if  he  were  one  of  the  regular 
guards,  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  was  really  a 


50     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

more  careful  guardian  than  all  the  soldiers  put 
together. 

One  night  at  the  time  of  the  righting  near  Mons, 
Pompee  saved  his  master's  life.  William  had  fallen 
asleep  in  his  tent,  and  all  was  quiet  at  the  camp,  when  a 
band  of  Spanish  riflemen  made  a  surprise  attack. 

In  those  days,  armies  did  not  dig  themselves  into 
trenches,  nor  were  they  kept  far  apart  by  monstrous 
guns,  so  that  if  the  sentries  were  not  wide  awake,  it  was 
easy  to  steal  into  each  other's  camps.  On  this  occasion, 
William's  sentries  must  have  been  very  careless,  and 
had  it  not  been  for  Pompee's  vigilance  a  very  serious 
thing  would  have  happened.  Pompee,  who  was  lying 
near  his  master,  as  usual,  heard  the  Spaniards  drawing 
near,  and  in  am  instant  he  was  on  his  feet  listening  and 
sniffing,  with  his  hair  standing  up,  as  a  sign  that  some- 
thing was  wrong. 

In  a  very  few  moments,  the  wise  little  dog  made  up 
his  mind  that  someone  was  coming  to  attack  his  master, 
and  im  an  instant  he  had  sprung  up  on  the  prince's  bed. 
Though  he  barked  furiously,  his  master  did  not  awake 
at  once,  so  Pompee  scratched  at  William's  face  until 
the  prince  started  up  quickly  and  dashed  from  the  tent. 
We  can  picture  in  our  minds  the  expression  on  the 
prince's  face,  when  he  threw  back  the  flaps  of  his  tent 
and  saw  the  Spaniards  creeping  past  the  sleeping 


A  DOG  THAT  CHOSE  HIS   MASTER  51 

sentries  into  the  camp,  sure  that  the  time  had  come 
when  they  would  be  able  to  kill  the  general  who  was 
fighting  against  them. 

Fortunately,  William  never  went  to  bed,  when  he  was 
in  camp,  without  giving  orders  for  a  horse,  with  saddle 
and  bridle  on,  to  be  left  standing  near  him.  So  that, 
as  soon  as  his  eyes  fell  on  the  advancing  enemy  soldiers, 
he  sprang  quickly  upon  the  horse's  back,  and  with  the 
delighted  Pompee  scampering  by  his  side,  fled  in  the 
darkness. 

The  sleepy  sentries,  and  the  prince's  other  attendants, 
were  all  killed,  so  that  William  did  not  have  to  punish 
them  for  neglecting  their  duty. 

After  this,  of  course,  William  loved  Pompee  more 
than  ever,  and  he  must  have  realized  very  often  what  a 
wonderful  return  Pompee  had  made  for  the  kindness 
that  was  shown  to  him  when  he  was  starving.  We  all 
know  that  though  human  beings  sometimes  do  so, 
animals  very  seldom  fail  to  show  their  gratitude  for 
favors  that  we  do  them. 

When  William,  who  had  a  good  many  secret  enemies, 
was  killed,  Pompee  refused  to  leave  his  master's  body 
and  snapped  at  those  who  tried  to  drive  him  away.  He 
refused  all  food  after  the  prince  had  finally  been  taken 
away  from  him,  and  slowly  pined  away.  William  had 
left  a  sum  of  money  in  his  will  to  be  used  for  Pompee's 


52     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

benefit,  but  the  dog  did  not  live  to  need  it.  He  refused 
to  have  anyone  as  a  new  master,  and  died  at  last  from 
starvation  and  a  broken  heart. 

Happily  the  people  did  not  forget  Pompee's  fidelity. 
For,  when  a  magnificent  monument  to  their  prince  was 
built  in  St.  Ursula's  church  at  Delft,  in  Holland,  a 
figure  of  Pompee  was  carved  on  it.  So  that  those  who 
visit  the  church  at  Delft  will  see  the  figure  of  William 
the  Silent,  carved  in  marble,  lying  at  full  length,  and 
at  his  feet  an  image  of  Pompee  guarding  his  beloved 
master  even  in  death. 

It  is  very  pleasant  for  us  to  know  that  this  great  man, 
who  devoted  his  life  to  gaining  the  independence  of 
Holland,  should  also  have  shown  so  much  kindness  to 
a  little  stray  dog,  and  that  a  grateful  people  did  not 
forget  PompeVs  attachment  to  his  good  master. 


CHAPTER  VII 
A   FICKLE    PET 

WE  do  not  often  hear  of  a  dog  that,  of  his  own 
will,  changes  his  master.  Yet  a  story,  which 
we  must  hope  is  not  true,  is  told  of  a  greyhound  that 
belonged  to  King  Richard  II,  of  England.  We  hope 
it  is  not  true,  because  we  cannot  respect,  very  much,  the 
memory  of  a  dog  who  deserted  his  master. 

It  is  impossible  to  read  about  King  Richard  II  with- 
out sympathizing  with  him,  for  he  became  king  when 
he  was  very  young,  and  the  latter  part  of  his  life  was 
extremely  unhappy.  He  was  the  son  of  Edward,  the 
Black  Prince,  and  was  called  to  the  throne  of  England 
when  he  was  only  eleven  years  of  age. 

At  this  time,  the  condition  of  the  poor  people  in 
England  was  very  bad.  They  could  earn  but  little,  and 
were  made  to  pay  heavy  taxes,  which,  of  course,  seemed 
very  unjust  to  them.  They  grumbled  about  their  wrongs 
for  a  long  time,  until  at  last  a  man  named  Walter  Tyler, 
who  was  usually  called  "Wat"  Tyler,  persuaded  them 
to  form  a  little  army,  and  to  take  their  revenge  on  the 

S3 


54     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

people  who  passed  the  laws  that  they  objected  to.  In 
a  very  short  time,  Tyler  had  gathered  together  a  great 
number  of  dissatisfied  laborers,  and  he  set  out  at  their 
head,  from  Kent,  for  London.  At  Canterbury,  where 
the  beautiful  cathedral  is,  the  army  of  rioters  broke 
into  the  archbishop's  palace  and  did  a  great  deal  of 
damage.  They  then  marched  on  to  London  and  burnt 
several  prisons,  after  turning  the  prisoners  loose.  At 
Lambeth,  a  part  of  London,  there  is  a  palace  where  the 
archbishop  of  Canterbury  lives,  and  Tyler's  followers 
overran  this  splendid  building  and  destroyed,  or  stole, 
a  great  many  valuable  things. 

To  get  to  the  busiest  and  richest  part  of  London,  it 
was  necessary  to  cross  the  river  Thames.  London 
Bridge,  which  connected  the  two  parts  of  the  city,  was 
built  with  a  drawbridge,  and  when  this  was  raised, 
of  course  no  one  could  cross.  But  some  traitor  to  the 
king  and  his  ministers,  lowered  the  drawbridge,  and  in 
a  twinkling  the  mob  was  streaming  across  the  river. 

For  some  reason  or  other,  no  steps  had  been  taken  to 
stop  the  rebellion  which  had  now  become  a  serious  mat- 
ter, and  Tyler  and  his  wild  followers  continued  their 
course  of  destruction  without  opposition.  They  burnt 
the  Savoy  Palace,  which  belonged  to  John  of  Gaunt, 
and  then  set  fire  to  the  big  prisons  known  as  Newgate 
and  The  Fleet.  Of  course  the  freed  prisoners  gladly 


A    FICKLE    PET  55 

joined  Wat  Tyler's  party,  for  the  kind  of  lawlessness 
that  he  was  stirring  up  suited  them  exactly. 

All  this  time,  little  King  Richard,  who  was  only 
fourteen  years  of  age,  was  shut  up  in  the  Tower  of  Lon- 
don where  he  was  safe.  After  a  time,  when  he  dis- 
covered that  his  ministers  were  not  exerting  themselves 
to  put  an  end  to  the  riot,  he  decided  that  it  was  his 
duty  to  take  matters  in  his  own  hands.  Probably,  if  the 
truth  were  known,  his  ministers,  when  they  found  that 
the  riot  was  so  serious,  thought  that  the  wisest  thing 
for  them  was  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  Wat  Tyler 
and  his  army. 

At  all  events,  the  young  king  mounted  a  horse  and 
rode  out  of  the  Tower  to  see  what  he  could  do  to  quiet 
the  mob.  Of  course  he  ran  a  very  serious  risk,  but  he 
felt  that  his  position  as  king  carried  great  responsibility, 
and  he  determined  to  brave  the  danger.  He  rode 
through  the  city,  which  showed  many  signs  of  the 
rebels'  progress  through  it,  and  presently  came  upon 
Tyler  and  his  mob  in  a  tournament  ground  outside  the 
wall  which,  in  those  days,  inclosed  London.  The  king 
talked  for  some  time  with  the  rebel  leader,  and  after 
awhile  Tyler  promised  that  no  more  damage  should  be 
done  if  the  king  would  grant  certain  favors  to  the 
people.  The  young  king  agreed  and  rode  back,  hope- 
fully, to  the  Tower. 


56     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

But  Tyler  did  not  keep  his  word,  and  before  long 
the  rioters  were  at  work  destroying  more  property. 
Therefore,  the  king  went  out  again  the  next  day  to  see 
Tyler.  At  first  Tyler  pretended  to  be  very  friendly 
and  shook  the  boy-king's  hand — which  was  taking  a 
great  liberty  in  those  days — but  a  little  later  he  became 
very  rude,  and  a  fight,  between  the  king's  party  and  the 
rioters,  followed  in  which  Wat  Tyler  was  killed  by  the 
Lord  Mayor. 

For  a  moment  it  looked  as  if  the  king  would  surely 
be  set  upon  by  the  furious  mob ;  but,  with  great  presence 
of  mind,  Richard  rode  quickly  to  a  part  of  the  ground 
where  he  could  plainly  be  seen  and  heard. 

There  he  held  up  his  hand  to  gain  the  attention  of 
the  mob,  and,  when  he  saw  that  they  were  listening, 
said,  "Sirs,  will  you  shoot  your  king?  I  will  be  your 
chief  and  captain,  and  you  shall  have  from  me  all  that 
you  want." 

The  sight  of  their  brave  young  king  sitting  proudly 
and  unguarded  on  his  horse,  and  trusting  to  their 
loyalty,  stirred  the  people,  and  they  cheered  him  loudly 
when  he  had  finished  speaking.  And,  when  he  turned 
his  horse  and  rode  to  a  large  meadow  that  sloped  down 
to  the  Thames,  they  followed  him,  talking  happily  over 
the  better  days  that  were  coming.  But  the  king  did  not 
really  mean  what  he  said.  He  only  pretended  to  be 


A    FICKLE    PET  57 

friendly  so  as  to  put  the  people  off  their  guard.  After 
he  had  led  them  to  the  meadow,  where  they  might  be 
easily  surrounded,  he  continued  to  talk  to  them  until  a 
strong  force  of  his  own  men  arrived  and  arrested  a 
number  of  the  principal  rioters.  The  only  excuse,  for 
the  trick  that  the  king  played  on  the  people,  was  that 
his  life  was  in  danger,  and  that  he  was  dealing  with 
men  who  had  already  broken  their  agreement  with  him. 

It  does  not  seem  to  be  quite  clear  when,  or  how, 
Richard  became  the  owner  of  Mathe,  or  Mithe,  as 
some  writers  call  his  favorite  dog,  but  we  do  not  hear 
anything  about  the  greyhound  until  after  the  king  had 
grown  up  to  manhood. 

We  may  feel  sure  that  though  the  king  was  extrava- 
gant and  foolish  at  times,  he  must  have  been  good  at 
heart  because  his  dog  loved  him  very  dearly.  Mathe 
was  always  to  be  found  by  his  royal  master's  side,  and 
loved  to  stand  up  with  his  fore  paws  on  Richard's 
shoulders. 

Sometimes  the  king  would  set  out  on  horseback  leav- 
ing the  greyhound  in  charge  of  its  keeper.  The  dog, 
heartbroken  at  being  deserted  by  his  master,  as  he 
thought,  would  strain  hard  at  his  leash  and  cry,  until 
the  keeper  released  him,  when  he  would  dash  off  with 
great  bounds.  Even  though  the  king  might  be  many 
miles  away  by  this  time,  Mathe  would  race  through  the 


58     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

woods,  and  leap  over  hedges  and  brooks  with  great 
graceful  bounds  until,  barking  joyously,  he  overtook 
his  master. 

In  those  days,  a  king  could  never  depend  even  on  his 
best  friend,  for,  when  he  least  expected  it,  someone  that 
he  had  always  trusted  might  raise  an  army  and  put  him 
off  the  throne.  Very  likely  Richard  was  thinking  of 
this,  when  he  was  out  for  a  walk  one  day  with  Mathe 
and  Henry  of  Bolingbroke,  Duke  of  Lancaster,  joined 
them.  Usually  Mathe  was  rather  savage  with  every- 
one except  the  king,  but  on  this  occasion  he  left  his 
master's  side  and  went  to  the  duke.  The  duke  was 
much  surprised,  especially  when  Mathe  jumped  up 
and  behaved  as  he  usually  did  to  the  king. 

"Whose  dog  is  this?"  asked  the  duke,  "and  why  does 
he  show  so  much  affection  for  me?" 

"Cousin,"  said  the  king,  in  reply,  "it  is  a  good  token 
for  you,  but  an  evil  and  grewsome  sign  for  me." 

"How  do  you  know  that?"  asked  the  duke. 

"I  know  it  very  well,"  answered  the  king.  "The 
greyhound  acknowledges  and  accepts  you  here  today 
as  the  rightful  king  of  England,  as  you  shall  be,  with- 
out doubt,  and  I  shall  be  deposed.  This  knowledge  is 
natural  to  the  greyhound,  so  take  him,  for  he  will  for- 
sake me  and  follow  you." 

It  appears  that  the  duke's  conscience  must  have  been 


A    FICKLE   PET  59 

guilty,  for  he  could  not  tell  the  king  that  he  did  not 
expect  ever  to  have  his  throne,  but  walked  off  without 
a  word  with  the  dog  at  his  heels.  And,  curiously 
enough,  Mathe  would  never  take  any  more  notice  of 
the  king,  but  attached  himself  to  the  Duke  of  Lancaster. 

We  know  that,  after  this,  the  duke  did  seize  the 
throne  and  that  he  ruled  as  Henry  IV  of  England.  And 
we  also  know  he  put  poor  Richard  in  jail,  where  the 
prisoner  is  said  to  have  starved  to  death. 

We,  unfortunately,  sometimes  hear  of  people,  nowa- 
days, who  desert  their  old  friends  for  new  ones,  because 
they  hope  to  gain  something  by  the  change;  but  it  is 
not  at  all  pleasant  to  think  that  a  dog  would  do  such 
a  thing.  We  do  not  know  what  became  of  Mathe  after 
his  new  master  became  king,  but  he  probably  regretted, 
very  often,  his  lack  of  fidelity. 


CHAPTER   VIII 
A    KING'S   WARRIOR 

IN  Sanssouci  park  surrounding  the  palace  outside 
Potsdam,  in  Prussia,  there  is  a  monument  of  white 
marble  on  which  is  engraved  the  word  "Gengisk." 

This  monument  was  built  by  the  celebrated  king  of 
Prussia,  Frederick  the  Great,  as  a  mark  of  his  gratitude 
to  the  well-loved  dog  who  warned  his  royal  master  of 
the  presence  of  a  great  danger. 

Frederick  the  Great's  father,  though  he  was  never  as 
great  a  general  as  his  son  turned  out  to  be,  was  very 
fond  of  soldiers.  He  formed  a  regiment  of  giants,  and 
spent  a  great  deal  of  time  in  watching  them  drill.  He 
collected  these  huge  men  from  all  parts  of  Europe, 
and  no  man  of  very  unusual  height  was  safe  from  the 
king's  agents,  who,  if  a  likely-looking  recruit  would 
not  join  willingly,  were  as  likely  as  not  to  kidnap  him. 
We  may  conclude,  therefore,  that  when  these  agents 
were  known  to  be  in  a  town,  only  dwarfs  were  to  be 
found  in  the  streets. 

Frederick  was  very  ambitious  to  become  well  edu- 
cated when  he  was  a  boy,  but  his  father  did  not  consider 

60 


A    KING'S   WARRIOR  61 

reading  at  all  a  manly  occupation,  and  gradually  grew 
to  dislike  his  son  because  he  spent  so  much  time  with 
his  books.  At  last,  when  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  his 
father  became  so  rude  and  so  unkind  to  him,  that  Fred- 
erick decided  to  go  to  England  and  to  ask  the  English 
king  to  protect  him.  He  succeeded  in  escaping  from 
Prussia,  and  was  helped  by  a  friend  named  Katte,  a 
lieutenant  in  the  army.  For  this,  Frederick  was  placed 
under  arrest  by  his  father,  and  was,  besides,  deprived  of 
his  rank  as  crown-prince.  He  was  also  tried  by  court- 
martial — that  is,  by  a  military  court — and  thrown  into 
prison. 

The  king,  Frederick's  father,  was  so  angry  with 
Lieutenant  Katte  that  he  condemned  him  to  death,  and 
to  punish  the  prince  at  the  same  time,  he  forced  Fred- 
erick to  be  present  at  the  execution.  Frederick  was 
also  compelled  to  work  as  a  clerk  in  a  government  office, 
but  this  was  rather  a  good  thing,  as  he,  no  doubt,  gained 
a  great  deal  of  valuable  information  concerning  the 
government  of  the  country. 

When  Frederick  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age  his 
father  died,  and  the  prince  became  King  of  Prussia. 
One  of  his  very  first  deeds  was  to  do  away  with  his 
father's  regiment  of  giants.  These  men  must  have  been 
very  thankful  to  rest  from  the  constant  drilling  that 
they  had  submitted  to,  for  the  old  king's  amusement. 


62     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

For  Frederick  I,  Frederick  the  Great's  father,  used  to 
amuse  himself  with  these  lengthy  warriors  just  as 
children  play  with  tin  soldiers  nowadays. 

But,  though  Frederick  got  rid  of  these  unwieldy 
troops,  he  brought  the  army  into  a  splendid  condition 
of  preparedness,  and,  as  so  often  happens  when  a  man 
has  a  fine  army  under  his  control,  he  soon  went  to  war. 
The  reason  that  he  gave  for  going  to  war  with  Austria 
was  that  a  part  of  that  country  really  belonged  to 
Prussia,  but  perhaps  he  also  wanted  to  see  how  well  his 
fine  new  army  would  behave.  In  any  case,  he  was 
victorious,  so  that  he  was  very  pleased  with  his  soldiers. 

After  peace  had  been  declared  at  Dresden,  Frederick 
was  already  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  greatest  men  in 
Europe.  He  was  not  only  a  great  general,  though,  for 
he  worked  hard  to  develop  the  industries  of  Prussia, 
and  he  also  ruled  his  country  very  wisely. 

About  nine  years  after  peace  had  been  declared  with 
Austria,  a  terrible  war  began.  In  some  ways  it  was  like 
the  Great  War  that  began  in  1914,  for  almost  all  of 
Europe  was  concerned  in  it.  The  Seven  Years'  War, 
as  it  was  called,  began  between  Prussia  and  Austria  for 
the  possession  of  Silesia.  Prussia  had  England  on  her 
side,  while  Austria  was  helped  by  Russia,  France, 
Sweden  and  Saxony.  Before  long,  the  whole  of  Europe 
was  at  odds,  and  even  America  was  interested,  because 


Frederick  the  Great  and  Gengisk,  the  dog  who  saved  him  from  capture. 


A    KING'S   WARRIOR  63 

the  French  and  Indian  War  was  really  caused  by  the 
Seven  Year's  War. 

Frederick  the  Great  was  always  a  great  lover  of  dogs, 
and  in  a  room  next  to  the  king's  study  in  the  palace  at 
Sanssouci,  which  means  "Without  care,"  there  are,  even 
now,  several  small  armchairs  covered  with  satin.  In 
these  little  armchairs  the  king's  pet  dogs  used  to  sit 
patiently  until  their  royal  master,  who  was  always  busy 
at  something,  could  find  time  to  play  with  them.  It  is 
said  that  Frederick  used  to  allow  some  of  the  greater 
favorites  to  sleep  in  his  bed,  but  we  will  hope  that  this 
is  not  true. 

The  dog  that  Frederick  loved  best  was  called  Gen- 
gisk.  It  is  said  that  he  was  a  very  powerful  animal, 
and  that  he  was  also  extremely  handsome.  Gengisk 
was  allowed  the  privilege  of  being  with  the  king  wher- 
ever he  went,  and  even  stayed  by  his  master's  side 
through  the  great  battles.  In  fact,  we  are  told  that  Gen- 
gisk did  his  part  in  these  battles  by  biting  the  enemy 
soldiers,  if  he  ever  succeeded  in  getting  near  enough 
to  them  to  do  so.  Of  course  even  the  bravest  soldier 
would  find  it  difficult  to  shoot  straight  if  a  big  dog  were 
snapping  at  his  heels,  or,  perhaps,  biting  his  leg,  so 
that  it  is  quite  possible  that  Gengisk  was  a  good  deal  of 
assistance  after  all. 

But,  it  was  during  the  great  Seven  Year's  War,  that 


64     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

Gengisk  performed  his  most  notable  service  to  his 
beloved  master.  It  seems  that  Frederick  became 
separated  from  his  officers  and  lost  his  way.  Strive  as 
he  would,  he  could  not  find  any  sign  of  his  men,  but 
he  continued  to  ride  on  with  the  faithful  Gengisk  by 
his  side,  until  night  came,  and  the  darkness  made  his 
chances  of  getting  back  to  his  army  almost  hopeless. 
Still  he  rode  on  and  on,  Gengisk  with  his  nose  con- 
stantly to  the  ground  trying  to  scent  the  correct  road, 
except  when  he  lifted  his  noble  head  to  gaze  reassur- 
ingly at  his  master.  At  last  they  came  to  a  river  that 
flowed  between  Prussia  and  Poland,  and  the  king  now 
realized  that  he  was  in  a  very  bad  part  of  the  country. 
For  he  knew  that  at  almost  any  moment  he  might  en- 
counter a  band  of  Russian  Cossacks,  who  would  be  only 
too  delighted  at  the  chance  of  capturing  such  an  im- 
portant prisoner. 

Frederick  felt  that  it  was  quite  as  dangerous  to 
remain  where  he  was,  as  to  ride  on  on  the  chance  of 
meeting  some  of  his  own  men,  so  he  turned  his  horse's 
head  down  the  river  bank.  Suddenly,  Gengisk  sprang 
at  Frederick's  horse's  chest,  in  an  attempt  to  prevent 
the  animal  from  going  on.  As  this  seemed  to  have  no 
effect,  the  wise  dog  jumped  up  and  bit  at  the  king's 
boots,  howling  at  the  same  time  as  though  he  were  in 
great  pain. 


A    KING'S    WARRIOR  65 

Frederick's  attention  was  now  attracted  to  Gengisk's 
actions,  and  knowing  how  faithful  the  good  animal  was, 
he  felt  sure  that  some  danger  must  be  threatening  him. 
Accordingly,  he  stopped  his  horse  and  listened  in- 
tently, but  there  was  nothing  to  be  heard.  Still  con- 
vinced that  the  dog's  instinct  was  to  be  depended  on, 
the  king  dismounted  after  a  few  moments,  and  led  his 
horse  back  in  the  direction  from  which  he  had  come. 
Gengisk  immediately  displayed  the  greatest  delight, 
jumped  about  playfully,  and  licked  his  master's  hands 
as  though  to  assure  him  that  he  was  wise  to  retreat. 

At  last  Frederick  knelt  down  and  placed  his  ear  to 
the  ground,  as  the  wild  Indians  used  to  do  when  they 
were  on  the  warpath  and  wished  to  find  out  if  any 
enemies  were  near. 

As  soon  as  Frederick  did  this  he  heard  quite  plainly 
the  heavy  tramp  of  horses'  feet,  and  he  felt  sure  at  once 
that  the  enemy's  cavalry  was  approaching.  He  could 
tell  by  the  sound  that  the  riders  were  still  a  long  way 
off,  but  presently,  by  the  bright  light  of  the  moon  that 
had  now  risen,  he  saw  some  of  the  scouts  that  had 
ridden  on  in  advance  of  the  troops. 

There  was  not  a  moment  to  spare,  and  the  alarmed 
king  glanced  about  in  all  directions  for  a  hiding  place. 
At  last  his  eyes  fell  upon  a  little  bridge  that  spanned 
the  river.  His  position  was  so  perilous  that  he  was 


66     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

willing  to  take  advantage  of  any  chance  of  escape  that 
presented  itself,  however  slight  it  might  seem,  so  he 
led  his  horse  down  the  stream  and  under  the  bridge. 

It  must  indeed  have  been  an  anxious  moment.  Gem- 
gisk,  of  course,  followed  at  the  king's  heels,  and  once 
or  twice,  to  his  master's  horror,  the  faithful  animal, 
scenting  the  approaching  enemy,  showed  every  sign  of 
being  about  to  bark.  Of  course  the  slightest  sound 
would  have  meant  the  king's  capture,  and  at  last,  when 
the  Cossacks  actually  crossed  the  bridge,  Frederick 
seized  Gengisk's  muzzle  in  both  hands  and  held  the 
dog's  jaws  so  that  they  could  not  open.  Frederick  said 
afterwards  that,  at  this  moment,  he  shivered  with  fright 
for  the  only  time  in  his  life.  The  king  never  forgot 
Gengisk's  fidelity  and  intelligence,  and  it  seems  as  if 
he  should  have  been  very  grateful  to  the  horse,  also, 
for  one  neigh  from  the  charger  would  have  been  as 
bad  as  a  bark  from  Gengisk. 

In  one  battle  poor  Gengisk  was  made  a  prisoner  and 
was  given  to  a  general,  who,  in  turn,  presented  the  dog 
to  his  wife.  It  is  hard  to  think  of  the  warlike  Gengisk 
occupying  the  position  of  a  lady's  pet,  and  it  is  not 
likely  that  he  allowed  any  great  amount  of  familiarity 
on  the  part  of  his  captors. 

Frederick  made  every  effort  to  get  the  dog  back,  and 
many  conferences  were  held  about  him,  just  as  if  he 


A   KING'S   WARRIOR  67 

were  an  ordinary  prisoner  of  war,  but  for  a  long  time 
nothing  came  of  all  the  parleys.  At  last,  one  day  when 
the  king  was  in  his  palace  writing  with  his  back  to  the 
door,  a  general  arrived  with  Gengisk.  No  sooner  did 
the  delighted  dog  see  his  beloved  master,  than  he 
dashed  at  him  and  sprang  upon  him  with  a  mighty 
bound,  upsetting  the  writing  table  and  scattering  state 
papers  in  all  directions.  The  king's  eyes  filled  with 
tears,  we  hear,  at  this  evidence  of  Gengisk's  love  for 
him,  and  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  bring  tears  to  Fred- 
erick's eyes. 

Some  months  after  this  Gengisk  died,  and  Frederick, 
deeply  grieved,  then  built  the  monument  at  Sanssouci, 
so  that  all  those  who  go  to  see  where  the  great  general 
lived  may  also  look  upon  the  grateful  monarch's  tribute 
to  his  guardian. 


CHAPTER   IX 
"WHOSE   DOG  ARE   YOU?" 

IT  is  always  encouraging  to  read  of  a  boy  who, 
without  a  great  deal  of  education,  in  his  youth, 
succeeds  in  making  his  mark  in  the  world.  So  that, 
when  we  hear  that  Alexander  Pope,  the  celebrated  poet 
and  essayist,  obtained  his  education  chiefly  through  his 
own  efforts,  we  cannot  fail  to  admire  him,  especially  as 
we  know  that  he  had  a  great  many  difficulties  to 
overcome. 

He  was  not  at  all  a  strong  child,  and  was  always 
undersized  and  deformed,  but  he  did  not  allow  these 
drawbacks  to  prevent  him  from  becoming  one  of  Eng- 
land's best-known  writers. 

It  is  true  that  his  father  encouraged  him  to  write 
poetry,  but  the  verses  were  often  returned  to  the  boy 
with  rather  severe  remarks  written  on  them.  Some 
boys  would  have  become  discouraged,  but  young  Pope 
continued  to  study  so  hard  that  at  last  he  became  very 
ill.  He  now  made  up  his  mind  that  he  was  going  to 
die,  and  he  sat  down  and  wrote  farewell  letters  to  his 
friends.  But,  fortunately,  he  was  not  quite  as  ill  as  he 

68 


"WHOSE    DOG   ARE   YOU?"  69 

thought,  and  all  that  he  needed  was  a  good  rest  from 
his  studies  to  get  well  again. 

He  must  have  been  very  industrious,  though,  after  he 
grew  strong,  for  he  wrote  a  large  number  of  poems  and 
essays,  besides  making  translations  of  Homer's  Iliad 
and  Odyssey.  It  must  have  been  very  hard  for  him  to 
translate  these  poems,  for  he  was  not  at  all  a  good  Greek 
scholar;  still,  he  persisted,  and  his  English  versions  of 
these  great  poems  are  still  much  admired,  though  they 
were  made  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  years 
ago.  The  Iliad  tells  about  the  siege  of  Troy  by  the 
Greeks,  and  the  Odyssey  is  the  history  of  the  adventures 
of  Odysseus,  or  Ulysses,  who  was  a  very  wise  and  elo- 
quent Greek  chieftain  in  the  Trojan  War.  Of  course 
we  know  that  what  we  read  in  these  poems  is  only  a 
kind  of  fairy  story,  but  these  stories  are  so  well  written 
that  they  will  probably  always  prove  interesting. 

At  the  time  that  Pope  lived,  there  were  also  several 
other  poets  and  authors  who,  instead  of  being  kind  and 
friendly,  as  authors  are  nowadays,  used,  sometimes,  to 
write  very  unkind  things  about  one  another.  From 
some  verses  that  one  of  these  poets  wrote  about  Pope, 
we  know  that  Bounce,  Pope's  dog,  was  a  well-known 
character.  In  those  days,  when  writers  were  very 
poorly  paid  for  their  work,  poets  used,  sometimes,  to 
write  very  flattering  things  about  kings  and  other 


70     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

prominent  people,  who  were  glad  to  pay  for  the  foolish 
things  that  were  written  about  them.  At  one  time  Pope 
did  something  of  this  sort,  so  that  Gay,  another  poet, 
no  doubt  was  thinking  of  this  when  he  wrote  the 
following  unkind  lines : 

Let  Master  Pope,  whom  Truth  and  Sense 
Shall  call  their  friend  some  ages  hence, 
Though  now  on  loftier  themes  he  sings 
Than  to  bestow  a  word  on  kings, 
Has  sworn  by  Styx  the  Poet's  oath, 
And  dread  of  dogs  and  poets  both, 
Man  and  his  works  he'll  soon  renounce, 
And  roar  in  numbers  worthy  Bounce. 

Pope  was  very  fond  of  royalty,  and  at  one  time 
he  presented  a  dog  to  the  Prince  of  Wales.  The  dog 
wore  a  very  handsome  collar,  and  Pope  wrote  some 
lines  and  had  them  engraved  on  the  collar.  The  lines 
were: 

I  am  his  Highness'  dog  at  Kew ; 

Pray  tell  me,  sir,  whose  dog  are  you? 

Of  course  these  lines  seemed  rather  impertinent  to 
any  one  who  examined  the  collar  and  read  them,  but 
perhaps  Pope  thought  that  these  inquisitive  persons 
would  learn  in  this  way  that  they  should  be  more 
respectful  to  the  Prince's  dog. 

The  poet  was  very  fond  of  telling  a  story  about  the 
remarkable  intelligence  shown  on  one  occasion  by  his 


"WHOSE   DOG   ARE   YOU?"  71 

horses.  In  those  days  there  were  no  trains,  so  that 
people  had  to  travel  in  stage  coaches,  or  else  in  their 
own  carriages.  It  seems  that,  on  one  of  his  journeys,  it 
became  necessary  to  cross  the  river  Thames.  Now 
while  the  Thames  is  quite  wide  where  it  flows  through 
London,  farther  up  it  is  very  easy  to  drive  across  it  at 
shallow  places.  It  was,  of  course,  at  one  of  these  shal- 
low places,  or  fords,  that  Pope  intended  to  cross,  but 
his  coachman  did  not  know  the  road  very  well.  It  was 
a  dark  night,  and  the  coachman  drove  the  horses  into  the 
water,  though  they  did  not  appear  to  be  very  willing 
to  go.  Presently  the  wise  animals  stood  still,  and 
though  the  coachman  beat  them  and  did  everything  in 
his  power  to  force  them  to  go  on,  they  would  not  stir* 
A  short  time  after  this,  some  other  travelers  came  along 
and  told  Pope  that  his  horses  knew  the  road  better  than 
his  coachman  did.  They  said  that  if  the  horses  had 
gone  a  few  steps  farther,  they  would  have  stepped  off 
into  a  large,  deep  hole,  and  Pope  would,  without  doubt, 
have  been  drowned. 

Pope  probably  secured  a  new  coachman  at  once,  but 
we  may  feel  sure  that  he  never  forgot  how  much  he 
owed  to  the  two  horses. 

Though  Pope  was  very  fond  of  his  dog,  Bounce,  he 
did  not  allow  the  pet  to  come  into  his  bedroom.  On 
one  occasion,  at  least,  though,  Bounce  found  his  way 


72     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

into  the  forbidden  place,  and  it  was  very  fortunate  for 
his  master  that  the  dog  did  disobey  the  rules.  He 
possibly  hid  under  the  bed,  and,  in  any  case,  Pope  was 
awakened  by  the  noise  of  a  fierce  struggle  going  on  in 
his  room,  and  to  his  surprise  he  saw  faithful  Bounce 
holding  with  his  teeth  the  right  hand  of  a  strange  mam. 
The  man  tried  hard  to  shake  the  dog  off,  but  Pope  saw 
that  Bounce  did  not  intend  to  let  go,  so  he  went  to  the 
window  and  called  for  help.  It  turned  out  that  the 
stranger,  who  was  captured,  was  a  burglar,  and  that 
he  had  been  admitted  to  the  room  by  Pope's  man- 
servant who,  of  course,  did  not  know  that  Bounce  was 
there  first.  The  burglar  was  armed  with  a  pistol  which 
he  might  have  fired  at  the  poet,  if  Bounce  had  not  held 
his  hand  fast. 

At  another  time  Bounce  showed  a  great  deal  of 
cleverness.  His  master  had  been  out  for  a  walk  in  the 
woods,  and  soon  after  he  returned  he  discovered,  to  his 
great  sorrow,  that  he  had  lost  his  watch.  Of  course  no 
one  likes  to  lose  his  watch,  but  sometimes  it  can  be 
replaced.  Pope  knew  that  he  never  could  replace  his, 
for  it  was  given  to  him  by  the  Queen  of  England. 
While  this  fact  did  not  cause  the  watch  to  go  any  better, 
Pope  was  very  proud  of  the  time-piece,  and  perhaps  it 
occurred  to  him,  also,  that  the  queen  might  ask  the  time 
someday,  and  that  it  would  be  very  awkward  if  she 


"WHOSE   DOG   ARE  YOU?"  73 

discovered  that  he  had  not  taken  better  care  of  her 
present. 

He  had  a  great  deal  of  confidence  in  Bounce's  wis- 
dom, though,  and  as  a  last  chance  he  decided  to  test  it. 
So  he  called  the  dog  and  said  to  him,  quietly,  "I  have 
lost  my  watch,  Bounce;  go  and  look  for  it!" 

It  was  now  late  in  the  evening,  there  had  been  a 
heavy  shower,  and  it  was  very  dark.  But  Bounce  was 
not  to  be  discouraged.  Out  he  set  in  the  gloom,  de- 
termined not  to  return  without  his  master's  watch.  He 
must  have  gone  over  all  the  ground  that  Pope  had 
passed  over  in  his  walk,  and  must  have  searched  it  very 
carefully  as  well,  for  his  master  sat  up  until  after  mid- 
night and  yet  the  dog  had  not  come  home. 

Finally,  the  poet  went  to  bed  after  having  made  up 
his  mind  that  he  would  never  see  his  watch  again, 
though  he  felt  confident  that  faithful  Bounce  was  doing 
his  best. 

Early  next  morning,  Pope's  first  thought  was  of  his 
dog,  so  he  jumped  out  of  bed  and  opened  his  door.  It 
is  easy  to  imagine  his  surprise  and  delight  when  he  saw 
the  weary  and  dripping  dog  lying  on  the  rug.  Perhaps 
he  was  so  glad  to  see  the  dog  that  he  forgot  the  loss  of 
his  watch  for  a  moment,  but  Bounce  proudly  held  up 
his  head  and  there,  clutched  firmly,  but  delicately, 
between  his  teeth,  was  the  watch. 


74     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

We  may  suppose  that,  after  this,  nothing  was  too 
good  for  Bounce,  and  we  do  know  that  the  poet  and  his 
dog  became  more  and  more  attached  to  each  other, 
and  that  Pope  would  rather  have  parted  with  anything 
than  with  his  faithful  Bounce. 


CHAPTER  X 
A  QUEEN'S    LAST   FRIEND 

THIS  is  the  story  of  a  little  dog  that  remained 
true  to  its  mistress  after,  as  it  seemed,  all  the 
world  had  turned  against  her. 

The  unfortunate  lady  was  Marie  Antoinette,  Queen 
of  France,  who  a  little  over  one  hundred  and  twenty 
years  ago  was  put  to  death  by  the  people  that  she  had 
ruled.  Marie  Antoinette,  who  was  an  Austrian  by 
birth,  went  to  the  French  court  as  the  bride  of  the 
Dauphin,  or  heir  to  the  throne,  and  her  life  there,  for 
some  time,  was  very  difficult  and  unhappy.  The 
favorites  of  the  king,  her  father-in-law,  were  not  at  all 
polite,  or  kind,  to  the  young  princess,  which  is  the  rea- 
son, perhaps,  that  she  made  the  most  of  her  opportuni- 
ties for  enjoyment  after  she  became  queen. 

At  all  events,  she,  unfortunately,  became  very  extrav- 
agant and  fond  of  all  kinds  of  pleasure,  after  her 
husband  came  to  the  throne  as  King  Louis  XVI,  and 
she  shocked  a  good  many  people  because  she  hated  the 
strict  rules  that  governed  the  way  of  living  at  the  court. 
She  was,  also,  very  fond  of  wearing  expensive  jewelry, 

75 


76     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

and  spent  a  great  deal  too  much  money  on  entertain- 
ments at  the  Trianon,  a  beautiful  villa  in  the  park  at 
Versailles,  outside  Paris. 

This  beautiful,  'but  rather  foolish,  young  queen  was 
connected  with  a  very  celebrated  diamond  mystery, 
about  which  novels  have  been  written,  though,  perhaps, 
no  one  ever  knew  the  exact  truth  of  the  matter. 

It  seems  that  a  firm  of  jewelers,  in  Paris,  had  spent 
many  years  in  gathering  together  a  number  of  diamonds 
that,  strung  together,  formed  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
necklaces  ever  seen.  Louis  XVI  heard  of  this  necklace 
and  was  very  anxious  to  present  it  to  his  wife,  but  Marie 
Antoinette  must  have  been  in  an  unusually  economical 
mood,  for  she  refused  to  accept  it.  She  even  told  the 
king  that  the  money  that  the  jewelers  asked  for  the 
necklace  —  about  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  — 
would  be  better  spent  in  building  a  man-of-war,  so 
that  we  see  that  people  were  talking  of  preparedness 
even  in  those  days. 

A  little  later,  however,  the  jewelers  made  another 
attempt  to  sell  the  necklace.  Of  course  they  could  not 
afford  to  keep  such  a  valuable  piece  of  jewelry  locked 
up  in  their  safe  for  ever,  and  yet  there  were  very  few 
people,  besides  kings  or  queens,  who  were  in  a  position 
to  spend  such  a  large  sum  as  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars  on  a  necklace.  The  jewelers  naturally  went  to 


Marie  Antoinette  and  Thisbe,  the  little  dog  who  committed  suicide 
when  separated  from  her  mistress. 


A   QUEEN'S    LAST   FRIEND  77 

Marie  Antoinette  first,  as  she  seemed  to  them  to  be 
the  most  probable  purchaser;  but  she  refused  again, 
though  her  manner  showed  the  jewelers  plainly  enough 
that  it  was  very  hard  for  her  not  to  own  the  diamonds. 

While  all  this  was  going  on,  there  was  a  man  at  the 
French  court  for  whom  Marie  Antoinette  had  the 
greatest  dislike.  This  was  Cardinal  Louis  de  Rohan, 
who  was  a  powerful  statesman,  though  he  was  not  at 
all  a  good  man.  One  reason  that  the  queen  disliked  the 
cardinal  was,  that  when  he  was  ambassador  at  the  Court 
of  Austria,  her  home,  he  said  a  good  many  unkind 
things  about  Marie  Antoinette's  behavior  in  France  to 
her  mother,  Empress  Maria  Theresa.  Like  all  gossips, 
he  lived  to  regret  what  he  had  said,  and  tried  hard  to 
make  friends  with  the  queen  later  on ;  especially  as  he 
wanted  to  be  made  prime  minister,  and  he  knew  he 
did  not  have  much  chance  as  long  as  the  queen  hated 
him.  Because,  in  those  days,  people  who  were  the  best 
friends  of  those  who  had  the  power  to  award  them, 
generally  received  the  best  positions,  even  if  they  were 
not  particularly  suited  to  them.  But,  as  is  usually  the 
case  with  people  who  say  unpleasant  things  about  their 
acquaintances,  de  Rohan  found  that  his  remarks  had 
been  repeated  to  the  queen,  and  that  she  did  not  feel 
at  all  inclined  to  forgive  him. 

Among   the   cardinal's   other  friends   there  was   a 


78     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

woman  named  Jeanne  de  St.  Remy  de  Valois.  Having 
such  an  imposing  name  one  would  suppose  that  she  was 
a  very  great  lady  indeed;  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  she 
was  only  a  shrewd,  scheming  woman  who  was  clever 
enough  to  draw  the  cardinal  into  a  most  wicked 
conspiracy. 

Before  de  Rohan  had  known  Madame  de  Valois 
very  long,  she  pretended  that  she  had  been  presented  to 
the  queen.  It  is  strange  that  de  Rohan  believed  this, 
because  Madame  de  Valois  was  not  at  all  the  kind  of 
person  that  queens  care  to  know.  But  this  clever  woman 
even  succeeded  in  making  the  cardinal  believe  that  she 
and  the  queen  were  quite  friendly,  so  that  the  crafty  de 
Rohan  thought  that  he  saw  a  good  chance  to  slip  back 
into  the  Queen's  favor.  He  stupidly  wrote  letters  to 
Marie  Antoinette  and  gave  them  to  Madame  de  Valois 
to  deliver. 

The  sly  messenger,  who  saw  her  plans  working  out 
better  even  than  she  had  hoped,  gladly  took  the  letters ; 
but,  instead  of  giving  them  to  the  queen,  she  opened 
them  herself.  Then  she  persuaded  a  friend  to  hers  to 
imitate  the  queen's  writing,  and  carried  back  to  the 
cardinal  the  false  letters  that  this  friend  wrote. 

At  last  the  silly  de  Rohan  believed  that  the  queen 
was  in  love  with  him,  and,  through  Madame  de  Valois, 
made  arrangements  to  meet  Marie  Antoinette.  This 


A   QUEEN'S    LAST   FRIEND  79 

meeting  took  place  im  a  grove  in  the  garden  at  Ver- 
sailles, and  the  cardinal  offered  the  lady,  who  met  him, 
a  rose,  which  she  accepted,  promising  at  the  same  time 
to  forget  the  past. 

Of  course  this  lady  was  not  the  queen  at  all,  and  it 
seems  strange  that  such  a  clever  man  as  the  cardinal 
should  have  been  taken  in  so  easily.  But  all  of  us 
have  known  people  who  seem  to  be  extremely  clever 
until  someone  flatters  them,  and  then  they  appear  to 
forget  all  their  wisdom. 

Madame  de  Valois  had,  by  this  time,  found  the 
cardinal  so  easy  to  trick  that  she  began  to  borrow  money 
from  him,  pretending  that  the  queen  wanted  to  use  the 
loans  for  her  charities.  And  then  the  schemer  went 
still  further,  for  she  even  succeeded  in  convincing  the 
Paris  jewelers  of  her  friendship  with  the  queen.  These 
clever  business  men  at  once  thought  that  a  good  chance 
presented  itself  to  sell  the  necklace  that  had  now  become 
a  constant  source  of  anxiety.  They  soon  found  that 
Madame  de  Valois  was  not  too  proud  to  accept  a  little 
present  for  using  her  influence  with  the  queen,  and 
no  doubt  they  rubbed  their  hands  with  glee  when  she 
at  last  agreed  to  do  what  she  could. 

One  day  Madame  de  Valois  went  to  the  jewelers 
and  told  them  that  the  queen  had  agreed  to  buy  the 
necklace,  but  that  as  Her  Majesty  did  not  want  the 


80     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

people  to  know  of  her  extravagance,  she  would  buy  it 
through  a  great  personage.  Madame  de  Valois  showed 
an  agreement  to  buy  the  necklace,  signed  with  what 
looked  like  the  queen's  signature.  Soon  after  this  the 
cardinal  entered  the  shop  and  said  that  he  was  author- 
ized by  the  queen  to  buy  the  diamonds.  The  sale  was 
made,  to  the  great  relief  of  the  jewelers,  and  then  the 
cardinal  did  the  most  stupid  thing  of  all,  for  he  gave 
the  necklace  to  Madame  de  Valois  to  hand  to  the  queen. 
Because  Madame  de  Valois  had  told  him  that  Marie 
Antoinette  would  receive  the  beautiful  necklace  as  a 
present. 

No  sooner  did  Madame  de  Valois  get  possession  of 
the  necklace  than  she  handed  it  to  her  husand,  who 
carried  it  to  England  and  sold  the  diamonds  one  at  a 
time. 

Of  course  the  cardinal  was  anxious  to  know  how  the 
queen  liked  the  beautiful  present,  and  as  she  made  no 
acknowledgment  of  it,  he  at  last  asked  her  about  it. 
Naturally  she  denied  ever  having  received  the  necklace, 
and  then  there  was  a  great  to  do.  The  cardinal 
was  arrested  for  stealing  the  diamonds,  but  was 
acquitted  at  his  trial.  And  then  the  man  who  had 
written  the  letters  and  the  queen's  agreement  to  buy 
the  diamonds,  confessed  and,  in  the  end,  Madame  de 
Valois  was  punished  severely. 


A  QUEEN'S   LAST   FRIEND  81 

Unfortunately  this  affair  and  some  foolish  behavior 
caused  the  queen  to  become  very  unpopular,  and  when 
the  Revolution  came  she  was  arrested  and  put  in  jail. 

The  queen  had  always  been  very  fond  of  a  little  dog 
called  Thisbe,  and  when  she  was  setting  out  for  the 
jail  she  begged  for  her  little  pet  to  be  allowed  to  go 
with  her.  This  slight  favor  was  refused,  which  shows 
how  bitter  the  people,  who  only  a  short  time  before  had 
almost  worshipped  her,  had  come  to  feel  toward  her. 
Thisbe,  however,  was  determined  to  accompany  her 
mistress  even  to  jail,  and  though  the  rough  soldiers 
kicked  the  tiny  dog,  and  so  prevented  her  from  getting 
into  the  cart,  which  had  taken  the  place  of  the  queen's 
magnificent  royal  carriage,  Thisbe  trotted  behind  the 
vehicle  all  the  way  to  the  jail. 

When  the  prison  door  was  reached  and  the  queen 
was  about  to  pass  through,  Thisbe  slipped  in  between 
her  mistress's  feet  in  the  hope  that  she  might  not  be 
discovered.  Her  plan  failed,  however,  and  again  her 
reward  was  a  kick  from  a  brutal  soldier.  Still,  in  no 
way  discouraged,  never  giving  up  hope,  the  little  dog 
remained  outside  the  prison  gates  day  after  day, 
throughout  all  her  beloved  mistress's  imprisonment, 
always  believing  that  the  time  would  come  when  she 
would  find  an  opportunity  to  slip  through  those  care- 
fully-guarded gates. 


82     FAMOUS   FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

Before  long,  the  touching  fidelity  of  the  little  animal 
attracted  attention,  and  people  stopped  in  the  streets 
to  talk  about  the  queen's  dog.  If  all  this  had  hap- 
pened in  our  time  the  newspapers,  no  doubt,  would 
have  had,  on  their  front  pages,  pictures  of  Thisbe,  and  a 
great  many  interesting  stories  about  her. 

At  last  a  kind  lady  picked  the  faithful  dog  up  and 
took  her  home.  But  the  lady  was  so  afraid  that  the 
people  would  think  that  she  was  friendly  with  the 
queen,  that  she  was  afraid  to  keep  Thisbe  in  her  own 
house.  So  she  took  the  dog  to  her  sister's  home,  which 
was  more  out  of  the  way,  and  there  little  Thisbe  was 
shut  up  in  a  room. 

We  can  imagine  how  the  dog  grieved.  She  knew 
that  something  very  dreadful  had  happened  to  her  mis- 
tress, and  yet  she  could  not  be  beside  the  queen  to 
prove  her  constant  trust  and  love.  For  days  she  refused 
to  eat  or  drink,  and  then  she  gradually  became  very 
savage,  so  that  it  was  not  safe  to  go  near  her.  At  last 
the  poor  little  heart  broke,  and  after  howling  pitifully 
for  many  hours  Thisbe  plunged  through  a  window 
into  the  river  Seine,  which  flowed  by  the  house. 

It  is  a  sad  little  story,  but  at  least  we  can  be  thankful 
that  Thisbe  never  knew  of  her  mistress's  tragic  end. 


CHAPTER  XI 
A   CURIOUS    SNUFF   BOX 

FEW  horses  have  had  the  honor  of  being  named 
after  a  great  battle,  and  of  being,  as  well,  the 
faithful  charger  of  the  great  general  who  was  victorious 
in  that  battle.  But  this  distinction  belonged  to  Mar- 
engo,  the  favorite  charger  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  who 
fought  against  almost  the  whole  of  Europe,  a  little  over 
a  hundred  years  ago. 

Napoleon's  neighbors,  in  the  little  island  of  Corsica, 
where  this  great  soldier  was  born,  would  have  been 
very  much  surprised  if  anyone  had  told  them  that  this 
rather  delicate,  undersized  boy  would,  some  day,  be 
Emperor  of  France.  And  they  surely  would  have 
laughed  if  a  fortune  teller  had  said  that,  some  years 
later,  this  youth  would  raise  and  command  some  of  the 
greatest  armies  in  the  world.  Yet  we  know  that  all  of 
this  came  true,  and  that  the  little  Napoleon  grew  up  to 
be  such  a  successful  general  that  he  became  the  most- 
feared  man  in  Europe. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  great  revolution  that  took 

83 


84     FAMOUS   FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

place  in  France,  soon  after  Napoleon  became  an  officer 
in  the  artillery,  perhaps  he  would  never  have  had  an 
opportunity  of  showing  his  wonderful  talent  for  caus- 
ing the  ordinary  soldiers  to  love  and  believe  in  him,  and 
to  follow  him,  uncomplainingly,  across  the  desert  sands 
of  Egypt  and  the  snow-wrapped  mountains  of  Russia. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  revolution,  the  English,  who 
were  anxious  for  the  revolutionists  to  be  beaten,  sent  a 
fleet  of  men-of-war  to  a  seaport  in  France  called  Tou- 
lon, to  help  those  who  still  wanted  a  king,  and  who  were 
holding  the  town.  Napoleon,  who  was  then  a  captain 
of  artillery,  was  sent  to  Toulon,  and  he  soon  saw  that 
the  only  way  to  take  the  city  was  to  get  rid  of  the  fleet. 
He  felt  sure  that  if  he  could  succeed  in  seizing  a  certain 
fort,  that  had  been  built  and  armed  by  the  British,  he 
would  have  the  fleet  at  his  mercy;  for  the  guns  from 
this  fort  would  sweep  the  harbor.  After  a  good  deal  of 
persuasion,  the  officer  in  command  agreed  with  the 
young  captain,  and  the  fort  was  captured.  There  was 
a  tremendous  struggle,  for  the  English  tried  hard  to 
get  this  important  position  back,  but  at  last  the  French 
were  able  to  turn  their  guns  on  the  fleet,  and  the  ships 
had  to  retire. 

This  was  Napoleon's  first  chance  to  show  his  skill 
and  bravery,  and  we  know  that  he  made  good  use  of  it, 
because  the  general,  who  wrote  the  report  of  the  fight, 


Napoleon  and  Marengo,  the  charger  whose  hoof  is  the  snuff  box  of  an 
English  regiment. 


A   CURIOUS    SNUFF   BOX  85 

said  that  the  young  artillery  officer  displayed  science, 
intelligence  and  "too  much  bravery."  Napoleon  was 
made  a  general  of  brigade  after  this,  and  it  may  be 
said  that  here  he  took  his  first  step  toward  his  future 
greatness.  Even  after  this  proof  of  his  wisdom  and 
valor,  however,  he  was  to  suffer  great  privations  for  a 
number  of  years,  before  an  opportunity  came  for  him 
to  show  that  he  was  a  genius. 

The  new  republic  was  having  a  very  stormy  life, 
and  at  last  a  number  of  people  decided  that  they  wanted 
to  change  and  to  have  a  monarchy  again. 

One  would  think  that  their  experience  of  kings  would 
have  prevented  them  from  ever  wanting  to  experiment 
with  that  kind  of  government  again ;  but  we  know  that, 
even  in  our  time,  there  are  people  who  are  never  satis- 
fied with  the  party  that  is  in  power. 

At  last  the  people  grew  so  discontented  that  there  was 
a  riot,  and  very  likely  a  great  deal  of  trouble  would 
have  followed  had  not  Napoleon,  who  was  now  next  in 
command  to  the  commander-in-chief,  been  there.  He 
succeeded  in  getting  hold  of  a  number  of  cannon,  before 
the  rioters  could  get  them,  and  he  placed  these  guns  in 
such  a  way  that,  when  the  crowd  came  to  attack  the 
palace  where  the  head  men  of  the  government  were, 
they  were  met  by  cannon  in  every  street  and  could  do 
nothing. 


86     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

This  clever  action  so  pleased  the  heads  of  the  re- 
public, that  Napoleon  was  given  the  command  of  the 
army  that  was  to  relieve  Italy  from  the  Austrian  in- 
vasion, and  the  campaign  that  followed  placed  him  at 
the  very  front  rank  of  the  world's  generals. 

Now  England,  as  well  as  Austria,  was  at  war  with 
the  republic,  so  Napoleon  next  decided  to  invade  Egypt. 
When  he  made  up  his  mind  to  take  this  step,  he  re- 
called, no  doubt,  the  victorious  campaign  of  Alexander 
the  Great,  and  saw  himself  talked  of,  as  Alexander  was, 
as  the  conqueror  of  the  world.  He  was  very  successful 
at  first,  in  Egypt,  and  then  set  out  to  cross  Syria,  as 
Alexander  did,  on  the  way  to  India.  Of  course,  if  he 
had  conquered  India,  and  had  also  taken  Constanti- 
nople, as  he  hoped  to  do,  it  would  have  been  a  very 
serious  matter  for  England. 

Unfortunately  for  Napoleon,  though,  he  was  badly 
beaten  at  a  place  called  Acre,  on  the  Syrian  coast;  and 
besides  this  defeat,  the  English  fleet,  commanded  by 
Nelson,  attacked  the  French  ships  in  the  river  Nile, 
and  destroyed  almost  all  of  them. 

Napoleon  was  now  in  a  pretty  fix,  for  it  appeared  as 
if  he  had  no  way  of  getting  back  to  France  when  he 
wanted  to.  Any  other  man,  but  this  wonderful  Corsi- 
can,  would  have  given  up.  But  he  led  his  troops  back 
across  the  terrible  desert,  and  though  they  suffered 


A   CURIOUS    SNUFF   BOX  87 

greatly  from  heat  and  thirst,  they  still  kept  their  belief 
in  their  general. 

By  this  time,  England,  Russia,  Turkey  and  Naples 
were  all  at  war  with  the  Republic  of  France,  so  Napo- 
leon thought  it  was  time  for  nim  to  return  home.  He 
was  especially  anxious  to  get  back  when  he  learned,  by 
chance,  that  the  French  had  lost  that  part  of  Italy  that 
he  had  rescued  from  the  Austrians. 

It  required  a  good  deal  of  courage  to  undertake  the 
voyage  to  France,  for,  of  the  French  fleet,  only  a  few 
small  vessels  were  left,  and  Napoleon  knew  that  the 
seas  were  crowded  with  the  warships  of  the  enemy. 
However,  he  was  successful  in  reaching  his  old  home, 
Corsica,  and  from  there  he  proceeded  safely  to  France. 

He  was  now  the  idol  of  the  people,  and,  when  the 
Directory — as  the  government  was  called — was  thrown 
out  of  power,  the  one-time  poor,  delicate  boy  from  that 
little  island  off  the  coast  of  Italy,  became  First  Consul, 
or  President,  of  France. 

And  so  we  come  to  the  great  battle  of  Marengo,  one 
of  the  most  famous  in  history,  in  which  Napoleon 
severely  defeated  the  Austrian  army  on  the  plains  of 
'Marengo  in  Italy.  There  is  little  wonder  that  he 
named  his  favorite  charger  after  this  great  victory, 
which  drove  the  Austrian  armies  from  northern  Italy. 

To  get  to  Italy  quickly,  and  thus  to  surprise  the 


88     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

Austrians,  Napoleon  decided  to  take  his  army  over 
the  lofty  Alps.  This  was  a  very  wonderful  thing  to  do, 
because  often  the  soldiers  and  horses  had  to  travel  along 
narrow,  snow-covered  ledges,  which  skirted  the  brinks 
of  terrible  precipices,  and  the  only  way  to  get  the 
cannon  up  the  mountainside  was  to  place  them  in  hol- 
lowed logs  and  then  to  haul  them  up.  The  main  army 
crossed  through  the  St.  Bernard  Pass,  where  the  good 
monks  and  their  wonderful  dogs  live  at  the  Hospice, 
or  Inn,  of  St.  Bernard. 

When  the  successful  general  returned  to  Paris,  the 
people  surrounded  the  Tuileries  palace  and  cheered 
him;  besides  this,  the  whole  city  was  illuminated  at 
night.  As  the  victorious  First  Consul  stood  at  the 
window  of  the  palace,  in  which  kings  and  queens  had 
lived  and  held  great  feasts,  and  looked  out  at  the  ador- 
ing multitude,  surely  his  thoughts  must  have  traveled 
back  to  those  days  when  he  was  an  ungainly,  shy  little 
boy  in  Corsica.  And  it  is  pleasant  to  know  that,  a  little 
later,  when  he  was  crowned  Emperor  of  the  French,  he 
longed  for  his  dear  old  mother  to  be  present  at  the 
ceremony. 

His  charger,  Marengo,  was  an  Arabian  horse,  snow- 
white,  and  very  probably  was  brought  back  from  Egypt 
by  Napoleon  when  he  returned  to  save  the  republic. 

Marengo  was  ridden  by  his  royal  master  in  many  of 


A   CURIOUS    SNUFF   BOX  89 

the  great  battles  that  this  ambitious  man  fought  against 
the  English,  Russian  and  Austrian  armies,  and  he 
would  stand  perfectly  still  beside  Napoleon  in  the  midst 
of  a  great  fight,  though  the  guns  were  roaring  all 
around  him. 

The  night  before  the  battle  of  Austerlitz,  at  which 
the  Russo-Austrian  army  was  hopelessly  beaten,  Na- 
poleon mounted  his  horse  and  went  the  rounds  to  see 
that  all  was  well.  He  ventured  too  near  the  Russian 
lines  and  aroused  some  Cossacks  (brave  Russian 
cavalry) ,  and,  had  his  horse  not  been  faster  than  those 
of  the  Russians,  the  great  general  would  have  been 
taken  prisoner.  There  is  little  doubt  that  he  was  riding 
Marengo  on  this  occasion,  for  the  Arabian  horses  were 
noted  for  their  speed.  So  that  the  fleetness  of  this 
game  little  horse  was,  indirectly,  the  cause  of  all  the 
great  battles  that  came  after  this,  for  with  Napoleon  a 
prisoner,  peace  would  probably  have  been  declared 
between  France  and  her  enemies. 

And  we  know  that  Napoleon  sat  on  Marengo's  back 
the  next  morning,  at  the  top  of  a  hill  that  overlooked 
the  field  of  Austerlitz,  and  gave  the  last  orders  to  his 
marshalls  before  the  battle  began. 

Again,  at 'Jena,  in  Germany,  where  Napoleon  scat- 
tered the  Prussian  army,  he  rode  Marengo.  And  so 
on,  through  all  his  great  campaigns,  this  brave  soldier 


90     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

and  noble  horse  traveled  together.  At  Moscow,  in 
Russia,  where  Napoleon  spent  five  miserable  weeks 
before  his  dreadful  retreat,  Marengo  was  ridden  daily 
by  his  master,  who  seemed  to  be  able  to  find  comfort 
only  in  the  companionship  of  his  charger.  And  after- 
wards, in  that  bitter  retreat,  when  men  and  horses  died 
of  starvation,  or  froze  and  dropped  while  on  the  march, 
Marengo  remained  faithful  to  his  well-loved  master. 
Until,  at  last,  we  come  to  Waterloo,  that  battle  that 
decided,  for  ever,  the  future  of  the  remarkable  man 
who  had,  for  so  long,  fought  with  his  brain,  as  well 
as  his  armies,  against  the  combined  strength  of  Europe. 

On  this  fateful  June  day,  in  1815,  Marengo  carried 
his  master  for  eight  hours,  and  we  cannot  help  believing 
that,  as  Napoleon  fled,  at  the  top  of  his  Arabian's  great 
speed  from  the  disastrous  field,  the  gallant  horse  must 
have  known  in  his  heart,  that  the  day  of  separation 
from  his  beloved  master  had  come. 

After  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  and  the  exile  of  Na- 
poleon to  St.  Helena,  a  British  island  in  the  South 
Atlantic  ocean,  Marengo  was  sent  to  England  where 
he  spent  the  rest  of  his  days  grazing  peacefully  in  green 
meadows;  or,  in  dreaming  of  his  past  glories  beside 
cool,  clear  brooks  in  the  shadows  of  great  oak  trees. 

At  last  this  valiant  horse  died  in  1829,  anc*  his  skele- 
ton was  bought  and  presented  to  the  United  Service 


A    CURIOUS    SNUFF   BOX  91 

Institution  at  Whitehall,  London,  where  it  has  been 
carefully  preserved. 

In  times  of  peace,  a  curious  snuff  box  is  passed  round, 
after  dinner,  every  night  at  the  mess  of  the  Grenadier 
Guards  who  earned  so  much  glory  at  Waterloo.  This 
snuff  box  is  made  of  one  of  Marengo's  hoofs,  and  bears, 
on  its  silver  lid,  this  inscription: 

Hoof  of  Marengo,  barb  charger  of  Napoleon,  ridden  by  him  at 
Marengo,  Austerlitz,  Jena,  Wagram,  in  the  Russian  campaign,  and  at 
Waterloo. 

And  around  the  silver  shoe  this  legend  runs : 

Marengo  was  wounded  in  the  near  hip  at  Waterloo  when  his  master 
was  on  him  in  the  hollow  road  in  advance  of  the  French.  He  had 
frequently  been  wounded  before  in  other  battles. 

Surely  Marengo,  a  great  soldier's  horse,  and  a  hero 
himself,  could  have  wished  for  no  greater  honor  than 
to  have  his  memory  kept  alive  by  this  celebrated 
regiment. 


CHAPTER   XII 
THE   "IRON    DUKE'S"    CHARGER 

IN  the  same  year  that  Napoleon  was  born  in  the 
little  island  of  Corsica,  there  was  born  in  Ireland 
a  boy  who,  forty-six  years  later,  was  to  command  the 
British  army  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  This  boy  was 
named  Arthur  Wellesley,  and  his  father  was  the  Earl 
of  Mornington,  but  we  do  not  hear  much  about  the 
father  except  that  he  was  a  good  musician;  so  that  it 
is  very  unlikely  that  he  had  any  ambition  for  his  son 
to  be  a  great  soldier. 

However,  when  he  left  school,  Arthur  became  an 
officer  in  the  English  army  and  had  his  first  experience 
of  war  in  Holland.  He  must  have  been  rather  dis- 
couraged, though,  for  the  British  troops  under  the 
Duke  of  York  were  defeated  and  driven  out  of  Holland 
by  the  Dutch  army. 

Very  soon  after  this,  Arthur  was  sent  to  India,  where 
the  natives  were  keeping  the  troops  constantly  busy.  A 
race,  called  the  Mahrattas,  were  particularly  warlike, 
and  in  one  battle  with  them  Arthur  Wellesley  had  two 

92 


THE   "IRON    DUKE'S"   CHARGER       93 

horses  killed  under  him.  This  fight  was  known  as  the 
battle  of  Assaye. 

Young  Wellesley  had  already  shown  great  cleverness 
in  dealing  with  the  natives,  and  in  the  end  he  succeeded 
in  bringing  the  war  with  the  Mahrattas  to  a  successful 
close.  He  returned  to  England  after  this,  and  was  soon 
sent  on  an  expedition  against  the  Danes.  He  was  again 
very  successful,  so  we  see  that  he  had  already  begun  to 
prove  his  ability  as  a  commander.  He  was  promoted 
for  his  services,  and,  the  next  year,  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  a  division  of  troops  sent  to  free  Spain  and 
Portugal  from  Napoleon.  Napoleon,  who  was  very 
angry  with  the  British,  had  ordered  Spain  and  Portugal 
to  allow  no  British  ships  to  enter  their  ports,  and 
Portugal  asked  the  British  to  send  troops  to  aid  her  to 
resist  this  order,  which  she  did  not  want  to  obey. 

Wellesley  first  beat  the  French  in  the  battle  of 
Vimiera,  in  Portugal,  and  then  came  the  battle  of 
Talavera,  in  Spain,  which  he  also  won.  He  was  now 
given  a  title  by  the  British  government,  and  had  the 
right  to  call  himself  Viscount  Wellington,  as  well  as 
Arthur  Wellesley.  Viscount  originally  meant  one  who 
took  the  place  of  a  count,  but  it  now  means  a  person  who 
has  not  quite  as  high  a  standing  as  a  count,  or  earl. 

Soon  after  Talavera,  Wellington,  as  he  was  now 
called,  defeated  the  French  in  the  battles  of  Ciudad 


94     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

Rodrigo  and  Badajoz.  Finally,  he  won  a  great  victory 
at  Salamanca,  by  which  he  prevented  the  French  from 
getting  in  between  his  army  and  Portugal.  Had  they 
succeeded  in  doing  this,  it  would  have  been  a  very 
serious  matter  for  the  British. 

For  these  successes  he  was  made  a  marquis,  which  is 
a  still  higher  title  than  viscount,  and  he  also  received  a 
present  of  one  hundred  thousand  pounds,  about  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars. 

About  this  time  Napoleon  was  having  very  severe 
reverses  in  Russia,  so  that  he  found  it  necessary  to  with- 
draw a  good  many  of  his  troops  from  Spain.  In  conse- 
quence of  this,  Wellington  was  able  to  drive  the  French 
army,  that  was  left,  before  him,  until  at  last  he  won 
the  decisive  victory  at  Vittoria. 

Peace  was  now  declared,  and  victorious  Wellington 
was  made  Duke  of  Wellington — the  highest  title  that 
could  be  given  to  him — besides  being  presented  with 
the  large  sum  of  four  hundred  thousand  pounds,  which 
was  almost  two  million  dollars. 

Before  long,  Napoleon  was  again  at  the  head  of  a 
powerful  army,  and  the  Duke  of  Wellington  was  chosen 
to  lead  the  British  troops  against  him. 

Through  most  of  his  campaigns  Wellington  had  rid- 
den a  horse  to  which  he  was  very  much  attached.  He 
had  named  this  charger,  Copenhagen,  in  honor  of  the 


THE   "IRON    DUKE'S"    CHARGER       95 

successful  campaign  in  Denmark,  just  as  Napoleon 
called  his  favorite  horse,  Marengo,  after  a  victory. 
Copenhagen  was  a  very  powerful  chestnut  horse,  and, 
from  what  we  hear  of  him,  he  must  have  been  almost 
tireless. 

On  the  evening  before  the  great  battle  of  Waterloo 
began,  Wellington,  who  had  no  idea  that  the  crafty 
Napoleon  was  anywhere  near,  went  to  a  ball  given  in 
Brussels  by  the  Duchess  of  Richmond.  In  his  poem, 
Childe  Harold,  Lord  Byron  tells  about  this  ball,  and 
about  the  excitement  that  followed  the  news  that  Na- 
poleon's cannon  could  be  heard  in  the  distance.  It  was 
long  after  midnight,  and  the  ball  was  at  its  height, 
when  suddenly  the  alarming  news  that  the  French 
army  was  only  a  few  miles  away,  broke  up  the  gay 
gathering.  While  the  officers  hurried  off  to  their  posts, 
the  ladies  tearfully  said  good-by  to  their  husbands  and 
friends,  or  made  preparations  to  leave  Brussels,  fearful 
that  Napoleon  would  force  his  way  into  the  city. 

At  four  o'clock  that  morning,  Wellington  mounted 
Copenhagen  and  rode  the  faithful  horse  for  eighteen 
hours.  Again,  on  the  last  day  of  the  great  battle  that 
followed,  the  powerful  chestnut  carried  his  master 
from  daylight  until  the  victory  had  been  won,  and 
Wellington  slipped  wearily  from  the  saddle  at  ten 
o'clock  at  night.  Even  then,  as  he  was  being  led  away, 


96     FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

the  gallant  Copenhagen  kicked  up  his  heels  playfully. 
Perhaps,  though  he  must  have  been  very,  very  tired, 
he  felt  that  it  was  his  duty  to  show  his  delight  at  the 
great  victory  that  his  master  had  won.  Of  course  he  did 
not  know  about  poor  Marengo,  Napoleon's  charger, 
who,  at  about  this  time,  was  flying  at  his  utmost  speed 
with  his  defeated  master  on  his  back;  but  we  may  feel 
sure  that  if  he  had,  he  was  noble  enough  to  feel  sorry 
for  that  great  horse. 

Soon  after  this  historic  eighteenth  of  June,  Copen- 
hagen was  taken  to  Strathfieldsaye,  Wellington's  beauti- 
ful estate  in  England,  where  he  found  delightful,  cool 
grassy  meadows  awaiting  him.  In  these  pleasant 
pastures,  he  spent  twelve  years  of  honorable  idleness 
enjoying  to  the  utmost,  no  doubt,  his  well-earned  rest. 
The  great  Duke,  who  was  called  the  "Iron  Duke," 
never  by  any  chance  left  his  estate  to  go  to  his  duties 
in  London,  without  a  visit  to  the  paddock,  where  he 
bestowed  a  loving  pat  and  a  handful  of  sugary  or 
chocolates,  on  his  faithful  horse. 

It  seems  that  even  the  servants  on  the  estate  were 
very  fond  of  Copenhagen,  for,  when  he  died,  one  of  the 
men  cut  off  one  of  his  hoofs  to  keep  as  a  memento. 
The  servant  supposed  that  such  a  great  man  as  the 
duke  would  never  care  to  look  at  the  horse's  dead  body. 
But  the  duke  did  come  to  say  a  last  goodby  to  Copen- 


THE   "IRON    DUKE'S"    CHARGER       97 

hagen,  and  when  he  discovered  that  the  hoof  had  been 
cut  off  he  was  very  angry;  so  angry  that  the  servant 
was  afraid  to  tell  that  he  had  done  it.  And  it  was  not 
until  after  the  old  duke's  death  that  this  servant,  who 
was  an  old  man  too,  now,  carried  the  hoof,  carefully 
wrapped  in  paper,  to  the  duke's  son. 

The  Duchess  of  Wellington  loved  the  old  horse  so 
well  that  she  had  some  bracelets  made  of  his  hair,  and 
wore  one  of  them  constantly,  while  she  gave  the  others 
to  her  dearest  friends. 

After  the  old  duke's  death,  his  son  erected  two  monu- 
ments on  the  grounds  at  Strathfieldsaye;  one  in  honor 
of  his  father,  and  the  other  to  keep  alive  Copenhagen's 
memory. 

On  Copenhagen's  monument  is  this  inscription: 

Here  lies  Copenhagen,  the  charger  ridden  by  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
the  entire  day  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo.    Born  1808,  died  1836. 
God's  humbler  instrument,  though  meaner  clay, 
Should  share  the  glory  of  that  glorious  day. 

It  is  very  pleasant  to  know  that  in  the  midst  of  all 
the  important  duties  that  he  had  to  perform  and  the 
great  honors  that  were  showered  upon  him,  the  great 
Duke  of  Wellington  thought  first  of  his  faithful  horse, 
and  that  the  son  did  everything  in  his  power  to  make 
Copenhagen's  name  endure  as  long  as  his  master's. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
THE   DOGS   OF  ABBOTSFORD 

MORE  than  a  century  ago,  two  dogs  lived  who 
have  been  mentioned  by  more  writers,  perhaps, 
than  any  other  animals.  It  is  true  that  they  were  not 
heroes  exactly,  and  that  had  their  master  not  been  so 
beloved  we  might  never  have  heard  of  them ;  but  how- 
ever that  may  be,  we  seldom  think  of  Sir  Walter  Scott 
without  calling  to  mind  his  noble  dogs,  Maida  and 
Camp. 

No  books  have  been  more  happily  read,  the  world 
over,  than  the  Waverley  novels,  and  it  is  strange  to 
think  that  if  Scott  had  been  successful  as  a  lawyer, 
these  splendid  romances  might  never  have  been  written. 

Sir  Walter  was  unfortunate  enough  to  be  lame  from 
his  childhood,  but  as  he  grew  older  and  stronger,  this 
did  not  prevent  him  from  making  excursions  into  the 
romantic  Highlands  on  horseback.  On  these  rides,  he 
undoubtedly  saw  many  interesting  things  that  he  stored 
up  in  his  mind  and  wrote  about,  later,  in  his  books. 

As  a  little  fellow,  he  was  very  fond  of  inventing  won- 


THE    DOGS    OF   ABBOTSFORD          99 

derful  little  romances  that  he  told  to  his  nurse,  or  to  his 
aunt  whom  he  was  visiting.  And,  later,  at  school  when 
the  other  boys  wanted  any  information  about  old 
legends,  or  other  unusual  things,  they  would  always  go 
to  young  Scott.  He  loved  poetry  and  spent  a  great  deal 
of  time  in  its  study  before  he  attempted  to  write  poems 
himself. 

His  father  was  a  lawyer  in  Edinburgh,  and  it  was 
intended  that  Walter  should  follow  the  same  profes- 
sion. As  a  matter  of  fact  he  did  so  for  five  years  after 
having  served  his  apprenticeship  in  his  father's  office, 
but  he  was  not  at  all  satisfied  with  the  progress  that  he 
made.  His  first  poems  were  very  successful,  and  as  he 
received  a  government  appointment  that  brought  in  a 
regular  salary,  he  did  not  have  to  depend  entirely  on 
the  money  that  was  paid  to  him  for  his  writings. 

Scott  had  always  wanted  to  own  an  estate  of  his  own. 
He  delighted  so,  in  his  novels,  to  tell  about  the  deeds  of 
the  old  chieftains,  that  perhaps  he  looked  forward  to 
possessing  some  of  the  power  that  they  wielded.  After 
he  had  written  the  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel  and 
some  other  poems,  he  found  that  he  had  enough  money 
to  buy  the  small  estate  of  Abbotsford  which  was  situated 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  Tweed.  It  was  to  Abbots- 
ford,  after  Scott  had  added  to  the  estate  and  built  a 
handsome  castle,  that  Washington  Irving,  the  American 


ioo  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

author  who  wrote  the  adventures  of  Rip  Van  Winkle, 
came  to  visit  the  Scotch  writer. 

Unfortunately,  Sir  Walter  Scott  had  been  persuaded 
into  putting  most  of  his  money  into  a  book-publishing 
business,  and  when  this  failed,  he  was  almost  ruined. 
He  was  very  honest  and  brave  about  his  debts,  and 
tried,  by  writing  more  books,  to  pay  them  all.  The 
people  to  whom  Scott  owed  these  debts  were  so  pleased 
by  his  desire  to  pay  them,  that  they  would  not  allow 
his  furniture  and  pictures  to  be  sold,  although  he  had 
made  up  his  mind  that  he  must  part  with  his  treasures. 

At  beautiful  Abbotsford,  Camp  and  Maida  lived  and 
hunted,  or  walked  with  their  master.  Camp  was  a 
large  and  handsome  bull-terrier,  very  fierce  by  nature, 
but  he  was  never  known  to  be  anything  but  very  gentle 
with  children.  His  master  used  to  call  him  the  wisest 
dog  that  he  had  ever  known.  For  it  seems  that  Camp 
once  forgot  himself  and  bit  the  baker.  For  attacking 
the  good  man  who  had  done  nothing  to  make  the  dog 
angry,  Camp  was  given  a  good  whipping.  He  was 
also  told  very  solemnly  that  he  had  done  a  very  wicked 
thing  and  that  he  must  never  bite  anyone  again.  After 
this,  when  anyone  spoke  about  the  unfortunate  baker 
and  how  he  had  been  bitten,  Camp  would  sneak  over 
to  the  corner  of  the  room  with  his  tail  hanging  down 
and  with  a  look  of  great  distress  on  his  face. 


THE   DOGS   OF   ABBOTSFORD        101 

The  faithful  bull-terrier  was  always  to  be  found  by 
Scott's  side  when  the  writer  was  taking  his  long  walks 
over  the  hills,  or  when  he  sat  writing  poems  or  novels 
in  his  study.  Scott  loved  to  have  his  dogs  near  him, 
and  that  is  why,  perhaps,  he  wrote  scarcely  anything 
that  did  not  mention  a  dog. 

After  a  time,  Camp  grew  old  and  sick,  so  that  he 
could  no  longer  go  with  his  master  on  his  walks,  but 
spent  most  of  the  time  lying  by  the  fire  in  the  dining- 
room.  Often,  when  the  servant  came  to  lay  the  cloth 
for  dinner,  he  would  say  to  old  Camp,  "Camp,  the 
sheriff's,"  meaning  Sir  Walter,  "coming  home  by  the 
ford."  Or,  perhaps,  he  would  say  that  the  master  was 
"coming  by  the  hill."  When  he  spoke,  Camp  would 
drag  himself  slowly  to  his  feet  and  go  out  either  the 
front  door  or  the  back  door,  to  meet  his  master,  accord- 
ing to  which  direction  the  servant  had  given.  The 
feeble  old  dog  would  try  to  frisk  when  he  saw  his  dear 
master,  but  even  the  short  journey  that  he  had  made 
from  the  dining-room  was  a  little  more  than  his  poor 
old  legs  could  stand.  Soon  these  meetings  were  brought 
to  an  end  by  Camp's  death. 

Scott  was  living  in  Edinburgh  when  this  sad  event 
happened,  so  Camp  was  buried  there,  outside  the 
window  at  which  the  author  usually  sat  when  he  wrote. 
All  the  members  of  the  family  stood  about  the  grave, 


102  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

as  Sir  Walter  smoothed  down  the  turf,  and  we  read 
that  there  were  tears  in  every  eye. 

It  makes  us  understand  a  little  the  kind  of  master 
Scott  was,  when  we  read  that  he  refused  an  invitation 
to  dinner  that  day  on  account,  he  said,  of  the  death  of  a 
dear  old  friend. 

Sir  Walter  Scott  was  always  surrounded  by  a  number 
of  dogs  for  whom  he  showed  the  greatest  affection ;  but 
after  Camp  had  gone  he  loved  Maida  better  than  any 
of  the  others. 

Maida  was  a  deerhound,  handsome,  stately  and  very 
large.  He  was  painted  so  often  by  his  master's  side 
that  he  grew  very  tired  of  sitting  for  his  portrait.  Scott 
wrote  once  that  he  "was  as  tired  of  the  operation  as  old 
Maida,  who  had  been  so  often  sketched  that  he  got  up 
and  walked  off  with  signs  of  loathing  whenever  he  saw 
am  artist  unfurl  his  paper  and  handle  his  brushes." 

At  dinner  time  Maida  used  always  to  seat  himself  by 
his  master's  side,  and  he  would  remain  there  all  through 
the  meal,  seldom  removing  his  eyes  from  Sir  Walter's 
face.  We  do  not  hear  that  Scott  fed  his  pet  in  the 
dining-room,  but  we  may  well  suspect  that  many  a 
choice  morsel  found  its  way  to  Maida's  mouth  before 
dinner  was  over. 

In  Sir  Walter's  study  there  was  a  ladder  against  the 
bookcase,  up  which  the  author  used  to  climb  to  reach 


A  great  author  and  the  dog  he  described  in  one  of  his  novels. 


THE   DOGS   OF  ABBOTSFORD        1103 

the  books  that  were  on  the  upper  shelves.  There  was  a 
cat  who  liked  to  crawl  to  the  top  of  this  ladder,  where 
he  would  sit  and  watch  Maida  out  of  one  eye,  as  long 
as  the  big  dog  was  in  the  room.  Of  course  if  Maida 
happened  to  glance  up,  Master  Cat  showed  every  sign 
of  having  been  fast  asleep  for  some  time;  or  else,  he 
would  look  at  Maida  as  if  he  would  say,  "I  do  not 
take  the  slightest  interest  in  dogs." 

But  let  Maida  leave  the  room,  and  in  an  instant  the 
cat  was  down  the  ladder  and  comfortably  settled  in  the 
dog's  usual  place  beside  Sir  Walter's  chair.  When 
Maida  wanted  to  leave  the  room  he  would  thump  on 
the  door  with  his  great  paw,  and  then  Sir  Walter  would 
get  up  and  let  his  favorite  out.  We  can  imagine  the 
pleased  look  that  came  over  the  cat's  face  when  he 
heard  the  tap,  tap  on  the  door. 

We  are  told  that  on  one  occasion  when  Sir  Walter 
had  a  very  painful  toothache  and  his  face  was  badly 
swollen,  Maida  was  extremely  nervous  and  fidgetty. 
The  dog  did  not  seem  to  be  able  to  make  up  his  mind 
whether  he  wanted  to  be  in  the  room  or  outside,  and 
every  few  moments  he  would  tap,  tap  at  the  door,  first 
on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other.  Though  he  was 
very  busy  writing  the  last  few  pages  of  a  book,  Scott 
would  jump  up  each  time  that  he  heard  the  dog's 
summons.  He  apologized  to  a  friend  for  Maida's 


104  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

restlessness,  but  did  not  grow  angry  at  being  disturbed, 
or  at  the  cold  air  that  came  in  the  opened  door  and 
made  his  tooth  more  painful. 

Stories  like  this  give  us  a  very  good  picture  of  Scott's 
character.  His  love  was  great  for  the  whole  world, 
and  he  never  tired  of  doing  good  acts.  He  worked 
more  industriously  than  almost  any  other  writer,  yet 
he  never  appeared  to  be  busy  when  visitors  called  to  see 
him,  but  always  met  them  with  a  smile  and  a  desire  to 
show  them  the  hospitality  of  Abbotsford. 

Washington  Irving  wrote,  after  his  visit  to  Abbots- 
ford,  about  Maida.  He  told  of  going  for  a  walk  with 
Sir  Walter  and  his  dogs,  and  he  said  that  for  a  long 
time  Maida  tried  to  be  very  dignified,  so  that  he  pre- 
tended to  take  no  notice  of  the  younger  dogs  who  played 
around  him  and  jumped  on  him  from  time  to  time. 
His  patience  became  exhausted  at  last,  however,  and 
then  he  seized  one  of  his  tormentors  and  rolled  him  in 
the  dust.  Although  Maida  appeared  to  be  too  reserved 
to  play  with  his  companions,  Scott  said,  "I  make  no 
doubt  when  Maida  is  alone  with  these  young  dogs,  he 
throws  gravity  aside  and  plays  the  boy  as  much  as  any 
of  them;  but  he  is  ashamed  to  do  it  in  our  company." 

We  have  all  seen  people  who  were  much  like  Maida 
in  this  respect  And,  as  the  other  dogs  must  have  won- 
dered why  Maida  was  so  dignified  when  his  master  was 


THE   DOGS   OF  ABBOTSFORD        105 

present,  so  people  are  caused  to  marvel  sometimes  why 
their  acquaintances  are  not  as  cordial  at  one  Jime  as 
they  are  at  another.  And  we  must  fear  that  Maida's 
behavior  did  not  increase  the  respect  that  the  other  dogs 
felt  for  him. 

Some  months  before  Maida  died,  a  mounting-block 
— that  is,  a  block  to  step  upon  to  get  on  a  horse's  back, 
or  in  a  carriage — was  placed  at  the  gates  of  the  Abbots- 
ford  grounds.  The  mason  who  built  this  block  placed 
a  figure  of  Maida  on  top  of  it.  Sir  Walter  asked  his 
son-in-law  to  compose  some  lines  to  be  carved  under 
Maida's  statue,  and  the  following  were  handed  to  the 
dog's  master: 

Maidse  Marmorea  dormis  sub  imagine  Maida 
Ad  januam  domine  sit  tibi  terra  levis. 

These  Latin  lines  Scott  very  quickly  translated  as 
follows : 

Beneath  the  sculptured  form  which  late  you  wore, 
Sleep  soundly,  Maida,  at  your  master's  door. 

Gradually,  as  Camp  did,  Maida  grew  old  and  infirm; 
but  Scott  never  failed  to  visit  him  every  morning  until 
he  finally  passed  away  from  old  age,  and  was  buried 
under  his  statue. 

It  is  very  pleasant  to  know  that  two  such  faithful 
friends  came  to  peaceful  ends,  and  that  there  could 
have  been  little  but  happiness  in  their  lives. 


io6  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

It  was  said  of  Maida:  "So  died  his  [Scott's]  faithful 
friend  and  servant,  Maida,  the  noblest  and  most  cele- 
brated of  his  dogs — might  I  not  safely  say,  of  all  dogs 
that  ever  shared  the  fellowship  of  man?" 

When  Scott's  money  difficulties  came,  he  worried 
more  about  the  welfare  of  his  dogs  than  he  did  about 
the  likelihood  of  having  to  sell  his  beloved  Abbots- 
ford.  Fortunately  he  did  not  have  to  do  this,  and 
perhaps  he  was  spared  this  sorrow  because  of  his  un- 
selfish love  for  his  pets. 

Finally,  Sir  Walter  became  very  ill,  and  it  was  de- 
cided that  a  sea  voyage  would  benefit  him.  The  Eng- 
lish government  lent  him  a  warship  to  travel  on,  but 
he  did  not  get  much  better,  and  at  last  he  was  brought 
back  to  Abbotsford  to  die.  On  his  journey  he  made 
friends  with  several  dogs,  and  it  is  said  that  he  loved 
to  tell  them  about  his  dear  dogs  at  home.  And  when 
we  read  his  wonderful  Waverly  novels  and  come  to 
the  one  that  is  called  Woodstock,  we  should  be  par- 
ticularly interested  in  reading  about  the  grand  "Bevis," 
because  Sir  Walter  Scott  was  thinking  of  his  beloved 
Maida  when  he  described  this  dog. 


CHAPTER   XIV 
"OLD   WHITEY" 

IT  is  a  very  curious  thing  that  when  we  read  the 
history  of  events  that  took  place  many,  many 
years  ago,  we  so  often  feel  that  we  might  really  be 
reading  of  doings  that  occurred  in  our  owm  lifetime. 

We  see,  in  our  daily  papers,  accounts  of  battles  in 
the  Great  War,  at  places,  in  France  and  Belgium, 
where  our  histories  tell  us  there  were  conflicts  hundreds 
of  years  ago.  Then,  too,  we  hear  of  American  soldiers 
camping  on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande  to  protect 
American  citizens  from  the  Mexicans,  as  they  camped 
when  Tyler  was  President  of  the  United  States.  And, 
at  that  time,  the  Mexicans  were  just  as  confident  that 
the  Americans  were  afraid  of  them,  as  they  were  almost 
seventy  years  later,  when  President  Wilson  sent  troops 
to  try  to  capture  the  bandit,  Villa. 

One  of  the  armies  that  fought  in  Mexico,  in  1847, 
was  commanded  by  General  Zachary  Taylor,  who  had 
already  shown  great  bravery  against  the  British  in  the 
war  of  1812. 

Like  so  many  other  men  who  have  become  great 
107 


io8  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

soldiers,  General  Taylor  received  very  little  education 
when  he  was  a  boy.  He  spent  his  younger  days  on  the 
Kentucky  frontier,  which  was  very  wild  at  that  time, 
and  thus  learnt  to  depend  on  his  own  judgment  and  he 
also  became  accustomed  to  being  surrounded  by  dangers 
of  all  kinds. 

A  further  preparation  for  the  leadership  that  he 
displayed  in  Mexico,  was  the  fighting  that  he  did 
against  the  Seminole  Indians  in  Florida.  These  Indians 
were  very  difficult  to  conquer,  because  they  were  able 
to  hide  in  The  Everglades,  a  huge  wooded  swamp. 
Even  now,  it  is  very  dangerous  for  strangers  to  venture 
into  certain  parts  of  The  Everglades,  for  those  un- 
acquainted with  the  trails  would  run  a  great  risk  of 
being  unable  to  find  their  way  out.  Then,  too,  this 
wilderness  is  a  very  unhealthy  place,  and,  also,  there  is 
a  likelihood  of  being  met  at  any  moment  by  a  deadly 
mocassin,  or  some  other  venomous  snake.  It  is  probable, 
though,  that  Taylor,  who  had  been  brought  up  in  the 
midst  of  dangers,  did  not  consider  the  risks  in  Florida 
anything  unusual,  and  in  the  end  the  Seminoles  were 
defeated. 

General  Taylor's  next  opportunity,  to  show  his  quali- 
ties as  a  commander,  came  when  the  United  States  de- 
cided to  annex  Texas;  that  is,  to  make  it  one  of  the 
states  in  the  Union.  Originally,  Texas  belonged  to 


"OLD   WHITEY"  109 

Mexico,  but  it  was  settled  chiefly  by  Americans  who 
were  allowed  by  the  Mexican  government  to  make  their 
homes  there.  After  a  time,  these  settlers  decided  to 
have  a  government  of  their  own  and  to  become  inde- 
pendent of  Mexico.  The  Mexican  government  did  not 
like  this,  and  a  good  deal  of  fighting  took  place  between 
the  settlers  and  the  Mexicans  at  one  time  and  another. 
In  the  end,  the  Texans  offered  their  country  to  the 
United  States  government  and  their  offer  was  accepted. 

The  Mexicans  did  not  want  any  part  of  Texas  to 
become  American,  and  there  was  one  section  especially, 
between  the  Nueces  River  and  the  Rio  Grande,  to 
which  they  declared  that  Texas  had  no  claim,  and,  con- 
sequently, had  no  right  to  give  to  the  United  States. 

However,  when  General  Taylor  was  sent  to  take 
possession  of  Texas,  he  was  told  to  occupy  the  disputed 
territory,  and,  accordingly,  he  marched  his  troops  to  the 
Rio  Grande  and  encamped  on  its  bank. 

In  those  days  there  was  a  band  of  wild  horses,  that 
roamed  and  fed  over  the  country  that  lay  between  the 
Nueces  and  the  Rio  Grande.  As  General  Taylor 
needed  a  great  many  horses  to  draw  his  wagons,  and  it 
was  impossible  to  get  tame  ones  in  that  country,  he 
employed  the  Mexicans  to  catch  some  of  these  wild 
creatures,  and  to  break  them  for  his  use. 

It  was  no  easy  task  to  capture  these  horses  that  were 


i  io  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

as  wild  as  deer  and  almost  as  fleet.  But  the  Mexican 
rough-riders  knew  exactly  how  to  go  about  it.  By 
exercising  great  patience  and  caution,  they  could  drive 
the  band  gradually  into  a  canyon,  or  small  valley,  from 
which  there  was  no  escape  for  the  horses,  except  by 
the  opening  through  which  they  had  entered.  The 
Mexicans  would  now  ride  into  the  middle  of  the 
frightened  and  plunging  mustangs,  and,  in  a  flash,  lassos 
would  swing  and  fall  around  the  necks  of  some  of  the 
animals.  No  sooner  would  the  alarmed  and  angry  mus- 
tangs feel  the  restraining  nooses  than  they  would  rear 
and  kick  viciously,  and  then,  with  finished  skill,  other 
ropes  would  be  cast,  and  fore  or  hind  feet  would  be- 
come entangled.  The  horses  were  now  helpless,  and 
presently  would  fall  to  the  ground  exhausted  and 
prisoners.  In  a  few  days  they  would  be  delivered  to 
General  Taylor,  and  the  wild,  free  days  on  the  prairie 
were  over  for  them. 

General  Taylor  was  always  very  particular,  in  his 
march  through  the  Mexican  country,  to  see  that  his 
soldiers  did  no  unnecessary  damage,  and  that  any  pro- 
visions, or  other  supplies  that  were  needed,  were  well 
paid  for.  The  consequence  was  that  the  Mexican 
people,  who  were  not  much  interested  in  the  dispute, 
did  not  object  seriously  to  the  Americans  passing 
through  their  farms. 


"OLD   WHITEY"  in 

There  was  one  faithful  companion  who  accompanied 
General  Taylor  all  through  the  Mexican  War.  This 
was  Old  Whitey,  the  general's  favorite  horse.  The 
other  officers  often  begged  their  commanding  officer  to 
change  his  charger  on  account  of  Old  Whitey's  color, 
for  it  was  feared  that  the  enemy  would  see  the  white 
horse  so  plainly  that  the  general  would  prove  a  good 
target.  But  Taylor  would  not  give  up  his  favorite, 
and  by  good  fortune  both  rider  and  horse  went  through 
the  war  without  injury. 

But  Old  Whitey  must  have  found  some  of  the 
journeys  very  trying,  for  the  supplies  of  water  were 
very  far  apart,  and  the  trails  were  often  hot  and  dusty. 
He  carried  his  master  faithfully,  however,  through  the 
wild  Mexican  country,  and  sometimes  across  broad 
streams  that  he  was  compelled  to  swim. 

His  master  was  always  very  calm  in  the  face  of 
danger,  and  no  doubt  Old  Whitey  soon  found  this  out, 
and  so  became  equally  cool  when  cannon  balls  and  bul- 
lets were  falling  near,  or  flying  past  him. 

Old  Whitey  assisted  at  a  number  of  battles.  He 
carried  his  master  at  Monterey  and  through  the  victory 
at  Buena  Vista,  which  had  a  good  deal  to  do  with  the 
final  defeat  of  Santa  Anna,  the  Mexican  general. 

In  this  war,  troops  were  landed  at  Vera  Cruz,  just  as 
they  were  during  President  Wilson's  administration, 


ii2  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

but  at  that  time  the  soldiers  had  to  go  ashore  in  frail 
surf  boats,  and  they  had  no  modern  men-of-war  behind 
them  to  shell  the  batteries,  if  necessary. 

The  American  people  had  been  thinking  of  electing 
General  Taylor  President  of  the  United  States,  and  his 
splendid  victory  at  Buena  Vista  pleased  the  voters  so 
much  that  his  election  was  assured. 

He  brought  faithful  Old  Whitey  back  from  Mexico 
with  him,  but  he  gave  orders  that  the  charger  should 
never  be  ridden  again.  And,  after  the  President's 
death,  the  old  horse,  who  had  seen  so  many  stirring 
days,  was  sent  to  General  Taylor's  plantation  where  he 
passed  his  remaining  days  in  peace  and  comfort. 


CHAPTER  XV 
"BOATSWAIN,   A   DOG" 

IN  the  heart  of  Sherwood  Forest,  in  Nottingham- 
shire, England,  there  is  a  beautiful  estate  known 
as  Newstead  Abbey.  Sherwood  Forest  must  always  be 
a  charmed  spot  to  those  who  are  fond  of  the  romantic 
tales  of  other  days,  for  it  was  one  of  the  haunts  of  the 
picturesque  outlaw,  Robin  Hood,  and  his  band.  In  its 
depths,  he  and  his  merry  men  used  to  camp  under 
the  noble  trees,  and  there  they  held  those  contests  at 
shooting  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  that  caused  them  to 
become  such  expert  archers.  It  is  pleasant  to  think  that 
Little  John,  Friar  Tuck  and  Maid  Marian  used  to 
stroll  in  the  moonlight  near  Newstead  Abbey,  and  that 
some  of  the  pranks  that  they  loved  to  play  on  travelers, 
may  have  been  exercised  at  the  expense  of  the  monks 
who  lived  in  the  Abbey. 

Newstead  Abbey  was  founded  as  far  back  as  1170, 
when  Henry  II  'built  it  as  a  penance  for  the  murder  of 
Thomas  a  Becket,  but  it  was  taken  away  from  the  good 
monks  and  given  to  Sir  James  Byron,  during  the  reign 
of  Henry  VIII. 


1 14  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

For  about  three  hundred  years  after  that,  the  Byron 
family  lived  at  the  old  Abbey,  but  at  last  the  poverty  of 
Lord  Byron,  the  great  poet,  caused  him  to  sell  it.  It 
appears  that  none  of  the  people  who  had  lived  there 
were  very  happy,  and  perhaps  this  was  because  the 
honest  old  monks  were  driven  from  their  home  for  no 
fault  of  theirs. 

We  all  hear  more  about  the  Lord  Byron  who  wrote 
Childe  Harold,  The  Giaour,  The  Prisoner  of  Chil- 
ian, and  so  many  other  wonderful  poems,  than  we  do 
about  the  others  of  his  family,  but  they  all  seem  to 
have  been  rather  peculiar.  The  poet's  granduncle,  who 
unfortunately  was  known  as  "the  wicked  Lord  Byron," 
had  a  great  many  queer  habits.  He  built  two  forts  on 
the  lake  in  his  grounds,  and  used  to  have  sea  battles 
between  boats — some  of  them  quite  large — that  he  had 
built  and  brought  to  Newstead.  He  was  very  dissi- 
pated when  he  was  a  young  man,  and  he  also  possessed 
a  very,  very  bad  temper  which  he  appears  not  to  have 
been  able  to  control  at  all.  As  a  result  of  his  wild 
habits,  and  his  inclination  to  quarrel,  he  killed  his  best 
friend  in  a  duel  that  was  fought,  with  swords,  in  the 
dark,  at  the  Star  and  Garter  Tavern,  in  London.  This 
friend,  whose  name  was  Chaworth,  must  also  have  had 
a  very  vengeful  nature,  for,  as  he  was  dying,  he  declared 
that  Lord  Byron  had  murdered  him. 


"BOATSWAIN,   A   DOG"  115 

Consequently,  the  wicked  Lord  Byron  was  tried  for 
murder  and  sent  to  the  Tower  of  London,  where  per- 
sons who  commit  crimes  against  the  king  or  queen  are 
imprisoned. 

All  of  us  who  have  seen  the  Tower  of  London  know 
that  it  is  a  very  gloomy  place  to  be  shut  up  in,  and  it 
was  a  good  deal  worse  in  Lord  Byron's  day  than  it  is 
now.  The  wicked  baron  was  so  overcome  by  the  dis- 
grace that,  when  he  was  released,  he  went  at  once  to 
Newstead  Abbey  and  hid  himself  from  everyone.  He 
grew  so  morose  from  brooding  over  his  imprisonment, 
and  his  fits  of  passion  were  so  terrible,  that  no  one 
wanted  to  live  with  him,  and  so  he  had  to  get  along 
with  two  old  servants. 

It  is  said  that,  having  no  other  companions,  he  took 
to  feeding  the  crickets  with  which  the  Abbey  soon  be- 
came overrun,  and  that  these  insects  grew  so  tame  that 
they  would  sit  on  his  hand. 

It  was  to  this  grand  old  estate,  with  its  beautiful 
gardens  and  graceful  trees,  where  his  eccentric  grand- 
uncle  had  lived  so  unhappily,  that  George  Gordon,  the 
sixth  baron,  brought  Boatswain.  He  had  bought  the 
puppy  in  Newfoundland  while  on  one  of  his  many 
voyages,  and  had  named  it  Boatswain,  perhaps  because 
it  loved  the  water. 

The  puppy  must  have  had  a  very  happy  life,  romping 


ii6  FAMOUS   FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

about  the  lovely  grounds  that  surrounded  the  Abbey, 
and  it  soon  grew  up  to  be  an  unusually  fine  specimen, 
with  the  black,  curly  hair  and  beautiful  head  that  mark 
the  thoroughbred  Newfoundland.  It  became  the  con- 
stant companion  of  its  poet  master,  and  in  many  of  his 
letters  Lord  Byron  wrote  of  his  great  love  for  the  dog. 
Like  his  ancestors,  this  Lord  Byron  did  not  have  a  very 
happy  life.  In  fact,  after  Boatswain  died,  he  had  these 
words  engraved  on  the  dog's  tomb : 

Ye,  who  perchance  behold  this  simple  urn, 
Pass — it  honours  none  you  wish  to  mourn; 
To  mark  a  friend's  remains,  these  stones  arise, 
I  never  knew  but  one,  and  here  he  lies. 

Of  course  it  was  not  true  that  Byron  did  not  have 
any  other  friends,  but  the  lines  show  how  deep  his 
grief  was  when  his  four-footed  companion  died. 

Byron  had  the  misfortune  to  be  born  with  a  twisted 
foot,  and  he  always  felt  this  deformity  very  much. 
Also,  unfortunately,  his  mother  was  not  a  very  wise 
woman,  and  though  of  course  she  loved  him,  she  did 
not  make  him  very  happy  when  he  was  a  boy.  His 
shyness,  too,  prevented  him  from  making  many  friends, 
so  that  he  gave  a  great  deal  of  love  to  Boatswain,  whose 
affection  for  him  he  knew  was  pure  and  unselfish. 

He  always  had  a  feeling  that  he  was  born  to  be  un- 
fortunate, and  this  thought  made  him  very  sad  at  times. 


"BOATSWAIN,  A   DOG"  117 

Once,  when  a  friend  died,  he  wrote  to  another  friend, 
"I  never  could  keep  alive  even  a  dog  that  I  liked,  or 
that  liked  me" ;  so  that  we  can  understand  what  a  blow 
Boatswain's  death  was. 

Lord  Byron's  wife  had  a  little  dog,  named  Griffin,  of 
whom  Boatswain  was  rather  jealous.  So  that  once, 
when  Lord  and  Lady  Byron  were  going  away,  it  was 
thought  best  not  to  leave  the  two  dogs  at  Newstead,  and 
Boatswain  was  sent  to  another  house  not  far  away. 

One  day  Boatswain  disappeared,  and  the  woman 
who  had  the  care  of  him  was  very  much  worried  be- 
cause she  thought  something  had  happened  to  him. 
We  can  imagine  her  surprise  when  the  big  Newfound- 
land returned  bearing  the  smaller  dog  in  his  mouth,  as 
a  cat  carries  her  kittens.  Boatswain,  perhaps,  had 
missed  his  little  companion,  but  it  is  more  likely  that 
he  thought  that  Griffin  needed  his  protection.  In  any 
case,  after  that,  if  any  other  dog  approached  Griffin, 
Boatswain  would  fly  to  his  little  friend's  assistance. 

The  Newfoundland  was  such  a  strong  swimmer,  and 
its  master  was  so  proud  of  its  fidelity,  that  he  often  took 
Boatswain  out  for  a  row  with  him  and  then  would 
upset  the  boat.  When  the  noble  dog  saw  Lord  Byron 
floundering  about  in  the  water,  it  would  swim  quickly 
up  to  him  and  seize  him  by  the  coat  collar,  or  sleeve. 
Then  it  would  swim  proudly  to  the  shore,  dragging  its 


ii8  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

beloved  master,  in  the  belief  that  it  had  made  a  won- 
derful rescue.  Of  course,  when  once  they  were  on  dry 
land,  Lord  Byron  would  pat  Boatswain  and  praise 
him,  so  that  the  dog  enjoyed  these  exercises  as  much  as 
its  master. 

But  like  all  great  friendships,  this  companionship 
had  to  come  to  an  end  at  last.  Poor  Boatswain  died, 
and  was  buried  in  the  peaceful  garden  at  Newstead 
Abbey.  Lord  Byron  erected  a  monument  to  the  dog's 
memory,  and  on  the  stone  the  following  lines  were 
engraved : 

NEAR  THIS  SPOT 

ARE  DEPOSITED  THE  REMAINS  OF  ONE 

WHO  POSSESSED  BEAUTY  WITHOUT  VANITY, 

STRENGTH  WITHOUT  INSOLENCE, 

COURAGE  WITHOUT  FEROCITY, 
AND  ALL  THE  VIRTUES  OF  MAN 

WITHOUT  His  VICES. 

THIS  PRAISE  WHICH  WOULD  BE  UNMEANING  FLATTERY 
IF  INSCRIBED  OVER  HUMAN  ASHES 
Is  BUT  A  JUST  TRIBUTE  TO  THE 

MEMORY  OF 
BOATSWAIN,  A  DOG, 

WHO  WAS  BORN  IN  NEWFOUNDLAND,  MAY,  1803, 
AND  DIED  AT  NEWSTEAD  ABBEY,  Nov.  18,  1808. 

At  this  time,  Lord  Byron  wrote  to  one  of  his 
friends  that  the  dog  had  died  in  a  fit  of  madness,  after 
a  great  deal  of  suffering.  He  added,  though,  that  his 
pet  had  been  as  gentle  as  ever  up  to  the  last,  and  that 
though  he  was  undoubtedly  mad,  he  never  attempted 
to  injure  anyone. 


"BOATSWAIN,   A   DOG"  119 

The  poet  made  a  very  strange  will  before  he  died, 
in  which  he  expressed  his  wish  to  be  buried  beside 
Boatswain.  He  also  wanted  his  old  servant,  Murray, 
to  be  buried  there,  but  Murray  did  not  quite  like  the 
idea.  He  said,  "If  I  was  sure  his  lordship  would  come 
here,  I  should  like  it  well  enough,  but  I  should  not  like 
to  lie  alone  with  the  dog." 

But,  after  all,  Byron  was  not  buried  beside  his  dear 
Boatswain.  He  died  in  Greece,  and  though  his  body 
was  taken  to  Newstead,  it  was  placed  in  the  family  vault 
in  the  little  church  at  Hucknall,  a  village  near  the 
Abbey. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
A   SOUTHERN    HERO'S   CHARGER 

FEW  visitors  to  the  pleasant  city  of  Richmond, 
Virginia,  fail  to  admire  the  beautiful  monument 
to  Robert  E.  Lee  erected  by  those  who  loved,  and  could 
never  forget,  the  great  general.  On  this  monument 
there  is  a  striking  statue  of  General  Lee  on  horseback, 
which  is  as  it  should  be,  for  the  general  was  a  finished 
rider  who  dearly  loved  his  horses. 

This  renowned  soldier  was  born  in  an  old  mansion 
in  Virginia,  where  other  brave  soldiers  had  made  their 
homes  before  him.  His  father  was  General  Henry 
Lee,  who  was  called  "Light  Horse  Harry."  Henry 
Lee  fought  with  great  dash  and  bravery  in  the  War  of 
the  Revolution,  so  that  Robert  inherited  his  courage 
and  taste  for  military  leadership.  "Light  Horse  Harry" 
died  when  little  Robert  was  only  eleven  years  of  age, 
but  the  boy  never  allowed  himself  to  forget  his  father's 
splendid  record  and  determined  to  do  as  well,  if  the 
opportunity  came. 

When  he  grew  old  enough,  he  went  to  West  Point 
Academy,  where  he  very  soon  showed  military  ability 

1 20 


A    SOUTHERN    HERO'S    CHARGER    121 

and  carried  off  the  highest  honors.  After  he  left  the 
academy,  he  was  appointed  to  the  engineer  division  of 
the  American  army,  and  carried  through  successfully 
many  important  engineering  feats. 

In  the  war  with  Mexico,  Lee,  as  well  as  Grant, 
against  whom  he  was  to  fight  later,  soon  won  distinc- 
tion. At  one  time,  news  had  been  received  that  the 
army  of  the  Mexican  general,  Santa  Anna,  was  quite 
close  to  the  American  camp.  Lee  did  not  believe  this, 
so  that  with  one  Mexican  guide,  he  rode  out  at  night 
and  discovered  that  the  light  specks  on  a  distant  hill 
that  appeared  so  like  tents,  were  really  sheep  that 
looked  very  white  in  the  moonlight. 

On  many  occasions  Lee  did  very  valuable  scouting 
service,  and  once  in  particular  he  succeeded  in  doing 
something  that  had  proved  impossible  to  six  other 
officers. 

The  Americans  had  seized  the  Mexican  village  of 
Contreras  and  had  managed  to  hold  it  until  night  came; 
but  it  was  known  that  the  Mexicans  were  bringing  up 
heavy  reinforcements,  and  so  it  was  thought  to  be  wiser 
to  advance  before  they  arrived. 

Of  course  it  was  important  to  let  General  Scott,  the 
commanding  officer,  know  of  this  plan,  and  Captain  Lee 
volunteered  to  make  his  way  through  the  Mexican  lines 
with  a  despatch.  Six  times  this  attempt  had  been  made 


122  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

by  other  brave  officers,  but  each  of  them  had  been  com-' 
pelled  to  turn  back.    Lee's  superior  scouting  knowledge 
gave  him  confidence,  however,  and  in  dense  darkness, 
and  in  the  teeth  of  a  tropical  storm  that  tore  up  trees  by 
the  roots  on  all  sides  of  him,  he  set  out. 

Undaunted,  he  rode  through  the  wild  night  and  de- 
livered his  message  to  the  commander-in-chief,  and  it 
is  said  that  the  safe  delivery  of  this  message  helped 
greatly  toward  the  successful  ending  of  the  war. 

When  the  unhappy  Civil  War  broke  out,  Lee  became 
general  of  all  the  Southern  armies,  just  as,  later  on, 
Grant  was  in  command  of  all  the  Northern  troops. 
About  this  time,  General  Lee  bought  a  horse  in  the 
mountains  of  Virginia  and  named  him  Traveller.  His 
master  was  always  very  particular  about  the  spelling  of 
Traveller's  name,  and  did  not  at  all  like  to  see  it  written 
with  one  /. 

Lee  was  very  sorry  when  the  Southern  States  decided 
to  go  to  war  with  the  Northern  States.  But  he  felt  that 
he  should  fight  for  Virginia,  the  state  that  he  loved  so 
well,  and  we  all  know  how  nobly  he  did  his  duty  as 
he  saw  it 

Traveller  was  a  tall  gray  horse  with  black  mane  and 
tail.  He  was  very  wise  and  affectionate,  and  General 
Lee  soon  became  very  much  attached  to  him. 

All  through  the  Seven  Days'  Battle,  near  Richmond; 


W    £ 

n^ 

1« 

43 

JS 


A    SOUTHERN    HERO'S    CHARGER    123 

at  Manassas,  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  at  many 
other  battles  and  finally  at  Gettysburg,  Traveller  carried 
his  master  safely.  He  was  very  cool  in  battle,  so  that  his 
master  could  sit  quietly  on  his  back  and  keep  a  watchful 
eye  on  the  fighting  that  was  going  on  around  him.  In 
many  cases,  the  other  officers'  horses  were  prancing  and 
kicking,  or  trying  to  run  away  with  their  riders.  Travel- 
ler undoubtedly  knew  how  much  his  master  loved  him, 
and  felt  that  it  was  his  duty  to  help  in  every  way  that 
he  could.  General  Lee  once  said,  that  many  a  war- 
horse  was  more  entitled'  to  immortality  than  the  man 
who  rode  him. 

Finally,  the  time  came  when  the  Southern  forces  were 
defeated,  and  General  Lee  felt  that  the  wisest  thing  to 
do  was  to  surrender  to  General  Grant.  The  armies 
under  Lee  were  suffering  greatly  from  want  of  food 
and  other  necessary  things,  and  it  was  hopeless  to  con- 
tinue the  struggle. 

When  peace  had  returned  to  the  South,  General  Lee 
became  president  of  a  university  at  Lexington,  Vir- 
ginia, and  when  he  went  there  to  live,  faithful  Traveller 
went  with  him.  Almost  daily,  the  general  rode  his 
favorite  horse,  and  when  he  went  away  from  Lexington 
for  a  change  Traveller  would  be  taken  too. 

One  day  General  Lee  left  Traveller,  while  he  went 
to  speak  to  some  friends  who  were  going  away.  Travel- 


124  FAMOUS   FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

ler  had  been  tied  to  a  post,  but  he  succeeded  in  freeing 
himself,  and  in  a  moment  went  galloping  gleefully  up 
the  road.  Some  one  saw  the  well-known  horse,  how- 
ever, before  he  had  gone  very  far  and  told  General  Lee, 
who  left  his  friends,  and  standing  in  the  road  whistled 
in  a  peculiar  manner. 

To  the  surprise  of  the  others  who  had  made  up  their 
minds  that  it  would  be  no  easy  job  to  catch  Traveller, 
the  horse  stopped  short,  turned  and  came  back  whinny- 
ing affectionately  to  his  master. 

As  long  as  he  was  strong  enough  to  do  so,  Lee  rode 
the  horse  who  was  always  ready  for  a  good  gallop  when 
his  master  slackened  the  reins.  Traveller  received  two 
saddles  and  bridles  as  presents  from  admirers  in  Eng- 
land, and  some  ladies  in  Baltimore  also  sent  a  like  gift, 
so  that  he  was  well  supplied  with  all  these  things. 

At  last  the  days  came  when  Lee  could  no  longer  go 
to  feed  his  well-loved  charger,  and,  a  little  later,  the 
beloved  general  and  college  president  was  forced  to 
say  "goodby"  to  Traveller  for  ever. 

At  General  Lee's  funeral  Traveller  was  one  of  the 
chief  mourners.  He  followed  as  close  as  possible  be- 
hind his  dear  master's  body,  and  it  is  said  that  he  put 
his  nose  on  the  flower-covered  coffin  and  whinnied 
pathetically  as  it  was  being  carried  from  the  church. 

He  lived  only  two  years  after  his  master,  for  he  was 


A   SOUTHERN    HERO'S    CHARGER    125 

unfortunate  enough  to  step  on  a  nail  that  poisoned  his 
foot  and  caused  lockjaw. 

We  cannot  help  noticing,  when  we  read  about  Gen- 
eral Lee,  the  many  times  that  Traveller's  name  is  men- 
tioned, and  we  feel  glad  that  when  people  all  over  the 
world  read  of  the  achievements  of  this  good  mam,  they 
also  learn  of  the  strong  love  that  he  felt  for  the  noble- 
hearted  old  Traveller. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
TWO   FRIENDS   OF  A   CONQUEROR 

WE  cannot  resist  feeling  a  deep  interest  in  every- 
thing connected  with  the  life  of  General 
Grant,  the  victorious  commander  of  the  Northern 
forces  in  the  Civil  War,  who  was  afterwards  chosen  by 
the  people  to  be  President  of  the  United  States. 

It  seems  strange  to  us,  when  we  think  of  what  a  great 
general  he  became,  that  Ulysses  S.  Grant  had  no  desire 
to  be  a  soldier  when  he  was  a  boy,  and  that,  if  his  father 
had  not  insisted  on  it,  he  would  not  have  gone  to  West 
Point,  even  after  he  received  the  appointment. 

Like  all  the  boys  who  lived  in  the  West  at  that  time, 
young  Grant  worked  very  hard,  and  he  was  always 
quite  happy  if  he  was  allowed  to  drive  the  horses  on 
his  father's  farm,  though  some  of  us  would  not  think 
that  hauling  lumber  was  much  fun. 

He  was  always  to  be  found  where  the  horses  were, 

and  soon  became  a  very  good  rider.     He  liked  very 

much  to  exchange  horses  with  other  people,  though 

sometimes  he  got  by  far  the  worst  of  the  bargain.    Still, 

126 


TWO    FRIENDS    OF   A   CONQUEROR   127 

as  was  the  case  when  he  grew  up,  he  never  complained 
about  ill-luck,  but  made  the  best  of  it,  though  he  some- 
times was  laughed  at  for  the  funny  "trades"  that  he 
made.  He  was  very  fearless  with  horses,  and  usually 
succeeded  in  staying  on  their  backs,  even  though  they 
kicked  and  jumped. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  he  did  not  make  the  most  of 
his  chances  at  West  Point,  and  he  never  showed  any 
signs  there  of  the  military  genius  that  he  became  noted 
for  afterwards.  In  fact,  when  he  graduated  from  the 
Military  Academy,  his  chief  desire  seemed  to  be  to 
leave  the  army  as  soon  as  possible. 

However,  he  was  to  see  active  service  very  soon,  for 
the  Mexican  War  broke  out,  and  he  was  sent  to  take 
part  in  it.  Grant  never  thought  that  this  war  was  a 
just  one,  but  he  did  not  allow  his  opinions  to  interfere 
with  his  duty,  and  served  his  country  just  as  nobly  as  if 
he  thought  it  was  in  the  right.  He  fought  under 
General  Scott  and  under  General  Zachary  Taylor,  as 
well,  and  very  soon  showed  that  he  possessed  presence 
of  mind  as  well  as  courage. 

At  the  battle  of  Monterey,  in  Mexico,  the  American 
troops  ran  short  of  ammunition,  and  it  became  necessary 
to  send  some  one  to  get  more.  The  general  in  command 
did  not  like  to  order  one  of  his  men  to  go  on  this  errand, 
because  the  messenger  would  have  to  pass  through  the 


i28  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

enemy's  lines,  and  would,  of  course,  run  a  very  great 
risk  of  being  killed. 

When  young  Grant  heard  that  the  ammunition  was 
needed,  he  at  once  offered  to  go  for  it,  and  the  general 
was  very  glad  to  allow  him  to  try.  Probably,  if  Grant 
had  not  been  so  fond  of  riding  when  he  was  a  boy,  he 
would  never  have  been  able  to  make  the  journey  suc- 
cessfully. But  he  was  such  a  fine  rider  that  he  was 
able  to  do  as  the  Sioux  Indians  did  when  they  were 
attacking  Custer.  By  having  only  one  foot  in  a  stirrup, 
and  one  arm  around  his  horse's  neck,  he  succeeded  in 
swinging  past  the  enemy  sharpshooters  without  being 
hit.  He  said  that  a  storm  of  bullets  flew  past  him,  but 
the  soldiers  could  not  see  him  because  he  was  hidden 
behind  his  horse's  body.  In  this  manner  he  succeeded 
in  carrying  out  his  mission,  so  that  the  ammunition  was 
brought  up  in  time  to  save  the  American  troops. 

The  war  against  Mexico  was  very  different  from  the 
wars  of  our  day,  when  great  guns  throw  shells  twenty 
miles  and  destroy  many  buildings  with  one  shot.  So 
that  it  seems  strange  to  us  to  hear  that  the  shots  from 
the  Mexican  cannons  were  checked  by  the  long  grass, 
and  that  the  American  soldiers  had  time  to  jump  out 
of  the  way  when  they  saw  the  cannon-balls  coming. 

Grant  fought  honorably  in  many  battles  in  the 
Mexican  war,  but  he  grew  tired  of  the  army  life  and 


TWO   FRIENDS   OF   A    CONQUEROR   129 

became  a  business  man  after  peace  had  been  declared. 
He  settled  down  with  his  wife  and  children,  and 
probably  thought  that  he  would  never  have  to  fight 
again.  But,  by  and  by,  the  terrible  Civil  War  broke 
out,  and  it  was  not  long  before  Grant  was  called  away 
from  his  business  to  help  his  country  once  more. 

We  have  all  read  of  the  wonderful  success  that  Grant 
had  in  the  war  between  the  Northern  and  the  Southern 
states,  and  how,  at  last,  General  Lee  surrendered  to  him 
in  Virginia.  But  we  can  never  cease  wondering  at  the 
genius  of  this  general,  who  did  so  much  to  keep  his 
country  united. 

It  is  said  that  once,  when  Grant  had  placed  his  men 
on  board  a  transport,  that  is,  a  ship  fitted  for  carrying 
soldiers,  he  was  by  mistake  left  on  the  shore.  The 
Confederates  were  drawing  nearer  and  nearer  to  the 
general,  and  he  saw  in  a  moment  that  the  only  hope  of 
escape  was  to  get  on  board  the  ship.  But  the  steamer 
had  moved  away  from  the  landing,  and  was  only  con- 
nected with  the  shore  by  a  narrow  plank.  Of  course 
Grant  could  have  left  his  horse  behind,  and  perhaps 
have  succeeded  in  getting  on  board  alone,  but  a  very 
steep  cliff  had  to  be  descended,  and  it  would  have  been 
difficult  for  him  to  get  down  on  foot  in  time. 

His  horse  did  not  take  a  moment  to  make  up  his 
mind,  however,  but  sitting  om  his  haunches,  slid  swiftly 


I3o  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

down  the  bank  and  trotted  without  hesitation  across 
the  plank.  Of  course  if  General  Grant  had  not  been 
kind  to  the  horse,  so  that  it  had  great  confidence  in  its 
master,  it  probably  would  have  been  afraid  to  venture 
on  the  plank,  and  its  master  would  have  been  taken 
prisoner. 

We  do  not  know  the  name  of  this  horse,  but  it 
probably  was  not  Cincinnati,  who  later  was  General 
Grant's  favorite  charger.  Cincinnati  was  noted  for 
his  great  speed,  and  he  was  such  a  splendid  animal 
that  General  Grant  was  once  offered  $10,000  for  him; 
but  the  general  would  not  part  with  his  beloved  horse 
for  any  amount  of  money. 

All  through  the  Wilderness  campaign  in  Virginia, 
Grant  rode  this  beautiful  horse,  and  it  is  said  that  he 
never  liked  anyone  but  himself  to  get  on  Cincinnati's 
back.  He  was  very  proud,  however,  when  President 
Lincoln  visited  him,  to  offer  the  horse  to  the  great 
man  for  his  use,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  used  to  ride  Cincin- 
nati every  day. 

Soon  after  General  Lee  surrendered,  and  the  Civil 
War  was  over,  faithful  Cincinnati  was  sent  to  a  beauti- 
ful estate  near  Washington  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  days 
in  ease,  and  when  he  died  he  was  given  an  honorable 
burial. 

But  General  Grant  had  another  pet  to  which  he  was 


TWO   FRIENDS   OF   A    CONQUEROR   131 

very  much  attached.  This  was  Ponto,  a  St.  Bernard 
dog,  who  was  born  at  Chamouni,  a  village  that  lies  at 
the  foot  of  Mont  Blanc,  the  highest  mountain  in  France. 

After  he  had  served  his  country  as  President,  General 
Grant  traveled  in  Europe  where  he  was  welcomed  and 
entertained  by  all  the  great  men.  While  he  was  in 
France,  he  bought  Ponto  who  was  then  only  a  tiny, 
furry  puppy.  Soon  after  he  had  bought  the  dog  he 
decided  to  return  to  America,  and  then  the  question 
arose  how  to  get  his  little  pet  on  board  the  steamer.  He 
could  not  bear  to  think  of  the  little  puppy  crossing  the 
Atlantic  down  in  the  hold  of  the  ship  in  the  butcher's 
quarters,  where  dogs  on  board  ship  usually  have  to  live, 
and  yet  he  knew  that  it  was  against  the  rules  for  him 
to  have  Ponto  in  his  cabin. 

Of  course  it  was  not  very  difficult  for  a  man  who  had 
been  able  to  see  through  the  plans  of  enemy  generals, 
to  think  out  a  way  to  get  Ponto  on  board  the  ship  with- 
out anyone  knowing  about  it.  Accordingly,  when  Gen- 
eral Grant  walked  up  the  gangplank  to  the  ship,  there 
was  no  sign  of  any  dog,  and  it  was  not  until  some  time 
afterwards  that  the  captain  discovered  that  Ponto  had 
gone  on  board  in  his  master's  pocket.  At  first  the  cap- 
tain was  very  angry,  but  he  decided  afterwards  to  let 
Ponto  remain  in  his  master's  cabin,  so  the  little  puppy 
traveled  very  comfortably  after  all. 


132  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

After  he  had  arrived  in  America  with  his  distin- 
guished master,  Ponto  was  seldom  to  be  found  far  from 
the  great  general's  side.  Whenever  his  master  set  out 
for  a  walk,  Ponto  lumbered  along  by  his  side  with 
great  glee,  but  we  may  be  sure  that  he  seldom  took  his 
eyes  off  the  important  man  for  whose  safety  he  felt 
responsible. 

When  some  short,  happy  years  had  passed,  poor  Gen- 
eral Grant  became  very  ill,  and  so  weak  that  he  could 
no  longer  go  out  for  walks  with  his  dog.  And  then 
Ponto  seemed  quite  content  to  give  up  his  pleasure  too. 
He  used  to  lie  contentedly  for  hours  beside  his  sick 
master,  though,  no  doubt,  he  often  wondered  why  there 
were  no  more  jolly  excursions  to  the  country. 

For  awhile,  after  his  master's  death,  Ponto  was  very 
sad,  and  General  Grant's  wife  became  much  worried, 
for  fear  that  he  was  going  to  die  too.  So  she  asked  a 
friend  to  take  the  lonesome  dog  to  his  country  place  up 
in  the  mountains.  There  Ponto  became  more  cheerful, 
and,  by  and  by,  came  to  love  his  new  master,  though 
never,  of  course,  as  he  had  loved  General  Grant.  And, 
when  his  new  friend  died,  it  was  found  that  money  had 
been  left  to  build  a  monument  to  Ponto  when  he,  too, 
went. 

This  was  done,  and  those  that  pass  along  the  road  in 
Onteora  Park  can  see,  by  the  roadside,  Ponto's  monu- 


{Courtesy  "Our  Dumb  Animals") 

Ponto,  the  constant  companion  of  General  Grant,  who  was  carried  when 
a  puppy  in  his  master's  pocket. 


TWO   FRIENDS    OF   A   CONQUEROR   133 

ment  with  his  name  on  it  and  the  dates  of  his  birth  and 
death. 

Many  writers  have  told  of  General  Grant's  last  days, 
and  of  the  happiness  that  he  felt  in  Ponto's  company, 
and  perhaps  the  St.  Bernard  heard  stories  from  his 
master  about  the  Civil  War,  that  no  one  will  ever  know. 
It  is  a  pity  that  Ponto  could  not  have  told  us  his  master's 
conversation,  but  probably  he  was  too  honorable  to 
repeat  it,  even  if  he  could  have  talked. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 
HONORED   BY  A   GOOD   WOMAN 

THIS  is  the  story  of  a  very  humble  little  dog  whose 
fidelity  was  so  unusual  that  a  great  and  good 
woman  heard  of  it,  and  did  what  she  could  to  make 
sure  that  he  should  never  be  forgotten. 

This  good  woman,  whose  name  was  Angela  Georgina 
Burdett-Coutts,  became  the  possessor  of  a  great  deal  of 
money  when  she  was  quite  young,  and,  as  well,  she  had 
to  bear  the  responsibility  of  being  the  head  of  a  great 
banking  house  in  London.  Fortunately,  she  was  a  very 
wise  young  lady,  and  she  at  once  made  up  her  mind 
that  she  was  going  to  make  the  best  use  possible  of  the 
riches  that  had  come  into  her  hands. 

She  became  very  much  interested  in  building 
churches  for  parishes  where  the  people  were  too  poor 
to  erect  places  of  worship,  and  in  a  great  many  parts 
of  England  there  are  now  churches  which  were  largely 
paid  for  by  this  generous  woman. 

Not  far  from  Westminster  Abbey,  in  London,  there 
is  a  large,  handsome  church,  called  Saint  Stephens. 
Miss  Burdett-Coutts  built  this  church,  and  when  it  was 

134 


HONORED    BY   A    GOOD   WOMAN     135 

finished,  the  great  Duke  of  Wellington  presented  to  it 
an  altar  cloth  made  from  a  beautiful  old  silk  curtain 
that  had  been  taken  from  the  tent  of  Tippoo  Sahib,  an 
Indian  sultan.  The  duke  had  conquered  this  sultan, 
who  was  fighting  against  the  English. 

But  Miss  Burdett-Coutts  did  a  great  many  other 
good  things  besides  build  churches.  She  worked  very 
hard  to  make  the  poor  happier,  and  to  improve  the  con- 
dition of  the  unfortunate  people  who  had  been  put  in 
prison.  At  that  time,  prisoners  were  treated  very  badly, 
sometimes,  and  the  buildings  that  they  were  shut  up  in 
were,  often,  not  fit  for  human  beings  to  live  in.  We 
know  that  Dickens,  the  great  author,  was  also  very 
much  interested  in  improving  the  prisons,  and  he  and 
Miss  Burdett-Coutts  worked  together  to  do  this. 

Then,  too,  Miss  Burdett-Coutts  found  that  animals 
were  not  always  treated  as  kindly  as  they  should  be,  and 
she  did  a  great  deal  for  them ;  especially  for  the  work- 
horses in  the  London  streets. 

At  last  the  good  Queen  Victoria,  wishing  to  show  her 
pleasure  at  all  the  splendid  things  that  this  fine  woman 
was  doing,  made  her  a  baroness,  and  so,  after  this,  Miss 
Burdett-Coutts  was  called  the  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts. 
This  was  an  unusual  honor,  for  she  was  the  only  woman 
who  had  ever  been  raised  to  the  peerage  for  her  good 
deeds  alone. 


136  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

Of  course,  being  so  much  interested  in  animals,  it 
was  quite  natural  that  someone  should  tell  the  Baroness 
the  story  of  a  sad  thing  that  had  happened  in  Scotland. 

It  was  in  the  beautiful  old  city  of  Edinburgh,  where 
the  celebrated  university  is,  and  where  the  Castle  of 
Edinburgh  stands  on  the  top  of  the  high  hill  that  is 
called  Arthur's  Seat,  that  a  poor  man  lived  with  his 
little  dog.  This  man  was  poor  and  hard-working,  like 
a  great  many  others  in  that  part  of  Edinburgh  where 
he  lived.  His  little  dog  stayed  with  him  in  a  very 
humble  home,  and  followed  him  daily  to  and  from  his 
work.  The  dog  was  called  Grey  Friar's  Bobby,  be- 
cause the  district  in  which  his  master  lived  was  named 
Grey  Friars  after  some  monks  who  used  to  have  an 
Abbey  near  there.  Also,  nearby,  there  is  the  church 
that  is  known  as  Grey  Friar's  Church. 

Bobby  was  so  well  known,  and  his  love  for  his  master 
was  so  strong,  that  a  book  has  been  written  about  him. 

After  a  time,  Grey,  Bobby's  master,  became  ill  and 
died,  and  the  little  dog  was  left  alone  in  the  world.  He 
would  not  leave  his  master's  side  during  Grey's  illness, 
nor  could  he  be  persuaded  to  go  away  from  the  room, 
after  the  one  whom  he  loved  best  in  all  the  world  had 
left  him. 

When  the  funeral  took  place,  Bobby  went  with  the 
other  mourners,  and,  no  doubt,  his  was  the  saddest  heart 


Grey  Friar's  Bobby,  who  for   fourteen  years  daily  visited  his  dead 
master's  grave. 


HONORED   BY  A   GOOD   WOMAN     137 

there.  The  following  day  when  some  people  went  to 
the  churchyard,  they  found  poor  Bobby  lying  on  his 
master's  grave.  It  was  against  the  rules  for  a  dog  to 
be  in  the  graveyard,  so  Bobby  was  driven  out;  but  he 
was  not  to  be  kept  away  from  his  dear  master,  and  the 
old  caretaker  found  him  there  the  next  morning,  and 
again  the  morning  after  that. 

It  was  evident  that  the  little  dog  had  been  lying  on 
the  grave  all  through  the  cold,  cheerless  night,  for  he 
was  soaking  wet  and  was  shivering.  The  good  care- 
taker took  pity  on  him,  and  though  he  could  not  coax 
Bobby  to  go  home  with  him,  he  brought  the  patient 
mourner  something  to  eat,  and  gave  him  some  water. 

Of  course,  after  a  time,  the  grave  could  not  be  seen, 
as  it  became  as  level  as  the  ground  about  it,  and  as  Grey 
had  no  money,  no  stone  was  set  up  to  mark  the  spot 
where  he  was  buried. 

This  made  no  difference  to  Bobby.  He  knew  where 
his  master's  body  lay,  and  he  continued  to  visit  the  spot 
regularly.  At  last  the  neighbors  grew  interested  in  the 
little  dog,  and  many  of  them  tried  to  take  him  to  their 
homes,  but  he  refused  to  go.  Still,  he  was  always  well 
fed,  for  these  good  people  saw  to  that. 

About  this  time,  it  was  decided  to  put  a  tax  on  dogs, 
in  Edinburgh,  and  as,  of  course,  Bobby  could  not  pay 
his  tax,  he  would  have  been  destroyed  if  the  police  had 


138  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

found  him  going  about  without  a  tag.  He  had  many 
friends  by  this  time,  however,  and  a  number  of  people 
wrote  to  say  that  they  would-be  glad  to  pay  the  tax. 

The  Lord  Provost,  or  Chief  Magistrate,  must  have 
been  a  kindhearted  man,  too,  for  he  gave  orders  that 
Bobby  should  never  have  to  pay  any  tax,  and  he  also 
presented  the  dog  with  a  very  handsome  collar,  studded 
with  brass  nails.  On  this  collar  the  following  words 
were  engraved:  "Grey  Friar's  Bobby,  presented  to  him 
by  the  Lord  Provost  of  Edinburgh,  1867." 

Some  dogs  might  have  grown  very  proud  after  this, 
for  we  often  see  people  who  become  haughty,  and  who 
forget  all  their  old  friends,  when  for  any  reason  they 
become  well  known.  This  was  not  the  case  with  honest 
Bobby,  however.  No  amount  of  attention  could  ever 
cause  him  to  forget  his  master,  or  to  desert  the  grave, 
and  he  continued  his  daily  visits  to  the  churchyard  until 
he,  too,  passed  away. 

Of  course  that  good  and  tender-hearted  lady,  the 
Baroness  Burdett-Coutts,  became  very  much  interested 
when  she  heard  the  story  of  the  faithful  little  dog,  and 
she  at  once  decided  that  his  remarkable  fidelity  should 
never  be  forgotten.  Accordingly,  she  made  arrange- 
ments to  have  a  monument  built  at  the  corner  of  the 
George  IV  bridge,  near  Grey  Friar's  Church  in  Edin- 
burgh. And,  so  that  the  monument  might  prove  a 


HONORED   BY  A   GOOD  WOMAN    139 

benefit  to  other  dogs,  at  the  base  a  drinking  basin  for 
them  was  placed. 

The  monument  is  really  a  handsome  fountain,  seven 
feet  high,  carved  out  of  red  marble,  and  at  the' top  there 
is  a  column  on  which  is  a  bronze  figure  of  faithful 
Bobby.  Below,  on  the  monument,  is  a  bronze  plate  on 
which  is  engraved  the  following  account  of  Bobby's 
life: 

THIS  MONUMENT  WAS  ERECTED 

BY  A  NOBLE  LADY 

THE  BARONESS  BURDETT-COUTTS 

To  THE  MEMORY  OF 

GREY  FRIAR'S  BOBBY, 

A  FAITHFUL  AND  AFFECTIONATE 

LITTLE  DOG, 

WHO  FOLLOWED  THE  REMAINS  OF 

His  BELOVED  MASTER 

To  THE  CHURCHYARD 

IN  THE  YEAR  1858, 

AND  BECAME  A  CONSTANT  VISITOR 

To  THE  GRAVE, 

REFUSING  TO  BE  SEPARATED 

FROM  THE  SPOT 

UNTIL  HE  DIED 

IN  THE  YEAR  1872. 

And  so,  perhaps  as  long  as  the  City  of  Edinburgh 
stands,  Bobby's  monument  will  remain  also  to  keep 
before  the  people  the  memory  of  the  tireless  fidelity  of 
a  dog.  The  good  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts  made  a 
great  many  human  hearts  rejoice,  and  yet  it  seems  to  us 
that  this  tribute  to  a  faithful  animal  was  one  of  her 
noblest  acts. 


CHAPTER   XIX 
THE   SOLE   SURVIVOR 

MANY  a  traveler  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  in  these 
days,  speeds  across  the  state  of  Montana  in  an 
easy-riding  and  secure  sleeping  car,  with  only  a  passing 
glance  at  the  peaceful  ranches  through  which  the  train 
hurries.  Or,  he  alights,  perhaps,  at  one  of  the  state's 
cities,  and  transacts  his  business  there  without  a  thought 
of  the  heroes  who  made  the  existence  of  these  cities 
possible. 

But  there  are  others  of  us  who  cannot,  without  a  deep 
sense  of  pride  and  gratitude,  cross  this  district,  where 
brave  soldiers,  and  equally  courageous  pioneers,  fought 
for  the  security  that  is  now  ours. 

It  takes  little  imagination,  as  the  train  bears  us  past 
lone  ranch  houses,  far  off  on  the  prairie  under  the  hills, 
to  see  again  the  cruel  Sioux  Indians  swooping  down  to 
attack  the  rancher  and  his  family;  or,  to  picture  an 
emigrant's  wagon,  surrounded  by  these  wild  savages, 
on  the  dimly-marked  trail  that  runs  out  of  sight  over 
the  mountains. 

But  we  must  always  keep  in  mind,  when  we  read  of 
140 


THE   SOLE   SURVIVOR  141 

the  terrible  things  that  these  Indians  did,  that  they 
believed  that  they  were  in  the  right  As  long  as  they 
could  remember,  these  wide  prairies  had  been  theirs, 
and  it  seemed  entirely  wrong  to  them  for  the  white 
men  to  settle  and  build  houses  and  feed  cattle  on  their 
property. 

Consequently,  being  a  very  brave  and  warlike  race, 
it  took  a  great  deal  of  persuasion  of  a  very  severe  nature, 
to  convince  them  that  the  white  man's  claims  were  just. 

The  Sioux,  and  some  other  tribes  with  whom  they 
were  allied,  became  so  powerful  in  1876  that  the  gov- 
ernment sent  an  expedition,  under  General  Terry, 
against  them.  In  the  advance  guard  of  this  expedition 
was  the  7th  cavalry  regiment  of  the  United  States  army, 
which  was  commanded  by  Colonel  George  Armstrong 
Custer. 

After  a  long  ride,  Custer's  force  arrived  at  a  place 
where  the  Big  Horn  and  Little  Horn  rivers  joined. 
This  was  on  the  evening  of  June  24,  and  as  the  re- 
mainder of  the  army  was  two  days  behind  him,  Custer 
decided  to  camp  by  the  rivers  and  to  wait  for  General 
Terry  to  come  up.  But,  through  someone's  mistake,  a 
most  unfortunate  thing  happened.  A  report  was  made 
to  Custer  that,  nearby,  there  was  a  small  force  of  Sioux 
which  had  evidently  become  separated  from  the  main 
body  of  Indians,  and  of  course  the  commander  at  once 


142  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

made  up  his  mind  to  capture  these  stragglers  before 
they  could  get  back. 

Accordingly,  on  the  morning  of  June  25,  after  his 
men  and  horses  had  enjoyed  a  good  night's  rest,  Custer 
divided  his  regiment  into  three  parties,  and  set  out  with 
the  intention  of  surrounding  the  Indians.  Gaily  the 
troopers  sprang  into  their  saddles,  delighted,  no  doubt, 
at  the  thought  that  theirs  was  to  be  the  opportunity  to 
capture  this  little  group  of  Sioux.  They  probably 
laughed  as  they  thought  how  surprised  the  general 
would  be,  when  he  arrived  the  next  day  and  discovered 
that  they  had  already  brought  in  a  number  of  prisoners. 

But,  alas,  Ouster's  information  was  not  correct,  so 
that,  instead  of  overtaking  and  surrounding  a  few  of 
the  savages,  the  jth  regiment  found  itself  surrounded 
by  the  full  force  of  the  enemy.  Custer  was  leading  the 
center  column,  and  he  rode  into  the  middle  of  a  ring 
of  Sioux  who,  mounted  on  the  barebacks  of  their  sure- 
footed, fleet  little  ponies,  circled  round  and  round  his 
small  force  of  264  men.  Of  course  there  was  no  hope 
for  the  brave  soldiers,  though  they  fought  valiantly 
until  the  last  trooper  fell,  against  many  times  their 
number  of  Indians. 

By  the  side  of  Custer  in  the  "Last  Rally,"  fought  and 
died  Captain  M.  W.  Keogh  who  rode  Comanche,  a 
powerful  gray  horse,  sixteen  hands  tall. 


THE    SOLE   SURVIVOR  143 

After  the  fight  was  over,  Comanche  was  found,  many 
miles  from  the  battlefield.  He  was  the  only  one,  of  all 
those  men  and  horses,  that  escaped  from  the  Indians; 
and  even  he  had  been  wounded  seven  times,  so  that  he 
was  very,  very  weak.  But  he  was  at  once  looked  upon 
as  a  hero,  and,  by  tender  and  loving  care,  his  life  was 
saved  so  that  he  became  a  living  monument  to  those 
who  had  fought  so  nobly. 

After  he  recovered  he  rejoined  his  regiment,  but, 
though  he  was  saddled  and  bridled  and  led  out  every 
day  for  inspection,  he  was  never  asked  to  do  duty  in 
the  ranks  again.  And,  perhaps  the  only  time  in  military 
history  that  such  an  honor  has  been  paid  to  a  horse,  a 
general  order  was  issued  concerning  him.  This  order 
read  as  follows : 

Headquarters  Seventh  U.  S.  Cavalry, 

Fort  A.  Lincoln,  D.  T.,  April  10,  1879. 
GENERAL  ORDERS 
No.  7. 

I. — The  horse  known  as  "Comanche,"  being  the  only  survivor  or 
living  representative  of  the  bloody  tragedy  of  The  Little  Big  Horn,  June 
25,  1876,  his  kind  treatment  and  comfort  should  be  a  matter  of  pride 
and  solicitude  on  the  part  of  every  member  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry, 
to  the  end  that  his  life  may  be  prolonged  to  the  utmost  limit. 

Wounded  and  scarred  as  he  is,  his  very  existence  speaks,  in  terms 
more  eloquent  than  words,  of  the  desperate  struggle  against  overwhelming 
numbers,  of  the  hopeless  conflict,  and  of  the  heroic  manner  in  which  all 
went  down  on  that  fatal  day. 

II. — The  commanding  officer  of  Company  I  will  see  that  a  special 
and  comfortable  stall  is  fitted  up  for  him,  and  he  will  not  be  ridden  by 
any  person  whatever,  under  any  circumstances,  nor  will  he  be  put  to  any 
kind  of  work. 


144  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

III. — Hereafter,  upon  all  occasions  of  ceremony  (of  mounted  regi- 
mental formation)  "Comanche,"  saddled,  bridled,  draped  in  mourning, 
and  led  by  a  mounted  trooper  of  Company  I,  shall  be  paraded  with  the 
regiment. 

By  command  of  Brevet  Major-General  S.  D.  Sturgis. 
ERNEST  A.  GARLINGTON, 

1st  Lieut,  and  Adjutant  Seventh  Cavalry. 

His  happiness  and  comfort  thus  provided  for,  Co- 
manche passed  the  remaining  days  of  his  long  life  in 
ease,  and  within  sound  of  the  bugles  of  his  Beloved  regi- 
ment. He  lived  to  be  thirty  years  old,  and  when  he 
died  at  Fort  Riley,  Kansas,  on  November  9,  1893,  ^e 
had  been  on  the  retired  list  of  the  United  States  Army, 
drawing  a  pension,  for  almost  twenty  years. 

His  body  was  carefully  mounted,  after  his  death,  and 
was  on  exhibition  at  the  Columbian  Exposition  in 
Chicago. 


CHAPTER  XX 
A   STATESMAN'S    COMPANION 

IT  is  a  beautiful  fact  that  almost  every  great  and 
honored  man  of  whom  we  read,  has  been  proud 
either  of  the  love  of  a  horse  or  of  a  dog. 

William  Ewart  Gladstone,  an  English  statesman  and 
a  brilliant  writer,  was  one  of  the  most  respected  men 
in  his  country,  and  yet  he  was  more  pleased,  perhaps, 
by  the  devotion  of  his  little  dog  friend,  than  by  all  the 
honors  that  the  people  of  England  bestowed  on  him. 

It  is  said  that  when  Mr.  Gladstone  was  a  little  boy, 
he  was  such  a  good  child  that  everyone  loved  him  very 
much,  and  we  know  that  all  through  his  long  life  of 
almost  ninety  years  he  was  beloved  and  admired  by 
people  all  the  world  over.  He  went  to  Eton  School, 
which  is  near  Windsor  Castle,  one  of  the  homes  of  the 
king  of  England,  and  afterwards  to  Christchurch 
College,  at  Oxford  University.  The  students  at  Christ- 
church,  which  they  call  "The  House,"  are  very  proud 
to  point  out  Mr.  Gladstone's  initials  carved  in  a  table, 
and  to  remember  that  such  a  noted  man  was  once  a 
member  of  their  college. 

'45 


146  FAMOUS   FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

Young  Gladstone  wanted  to  be  a  clergyman,  but  his 
father  had  made  up  his  mind  that  his  son  was  to  be- 
come a  statesman,  so  that  the  young  man  did  as  his 
father  wished  and  studied  hard  to  be  a  wise  lawmaker. 
He  traveled  at  first,  so  that  he  might  learn  a  great  deal 
about  other  countries,  and  might  also  know  how  to 
speak  and  to  read  their  languages. 

After  he  became  a  member  of  Parliament,  he  soon 
made  a  speech  that  attracted  much  attention,  and  the 
other  members  realized  at  once  that  he  was  going  to  be 
a  very  well  known  man  some  day.  He  was  fortunate 
enough  to  marry  a  lady  who  admired  his  talents  greatly, 
and  who  was  a  true  help  to  him  all  through  his  busy 
life.  For  he  was  not  only  a  statesman,  occupied  with 
the  business  of  his  country,  but  he  also  wrote  many 
books  and  articles  for  magazines  and  newspapers. 
Other  authors  were  always  very  proud  when  he  said 
kind  things  about  their  books,  for  praise  from  him  was 
sometimes  quite  enough  to  make  a  writer  famous. 

His  wife  became  the  owner  of  a  beautiful  castle,  in 
Wales,  that  he  came  to  love  very  dearly.  It  was  called 
Hawarden  Castle,  and  here  it  was  that  the  little  dog, 
Petz,  came  to  live  happily  for  almost  nine  years. 

Gradually  Mr.  Gladstone  became  a  very  great  man 
indeed,  and  the  people  admired  him  so  much  that, 
before  he  retired  from  active  life,  he  had  been  made 


A   STATESMAN'S    COMPANION       147 

Prime  Minister,  or  head  of  the  government,  four  times. 
No  man  had  ever  been  so  honored  in  England  before, 
so  that  we  see  that  Petz  had  every  reason  to  be  proud  of 
his  master. 

Though  Mr.  Gladstone,  like  all  good  men,  loved 
peace  above  everything  else,  he  was  unfortunate  enough 
to  have  to  see  his  dear  country  fight  three  wars.  One 
of  these,  the  Crimean  War  which  was  fought  against 
the  Russians,  made  him  particularly  sad,  because  the 
English  soldiers  suffered  greatly  through  bad  manage- 
ment. 

He  said,  once,  that  the  condition  of  the  army  in  the 
Crimea  was  a  matter  for  weeping  all  day  and  praying 
all  night.  The  chief  cause  of  the  suffering  was  that 
England  was  not  prepared  to  supply  the  soldiers  with 
the  medicines  and  food  that  they  should  have  had.  And 
so,  as  has  often  happened  when  their  country  is  not 
prepared  to  take  care  of  them  in  the  field,  the  poor 
brave  soldiers  had  to  die  for  someone's  neglect. 

Besides  fighting  with  the  Russians,  England  also  had 
wars  in  Egypt  and  South  Africa  while  Mr.  Gladstone 
was  in  parliament,  so  that  he  passed  a  great  many  sad 
days  and  nights.  At  these  times,  his  faithful  wife  tried 
to  make  him  forget  his  worries,  and  she  also  took  the 
greatest  care  of  him  so  that  his  health  should  not  break 
down. 


I48  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

After  he  had  served  his  country  faithfully  for  many 
years,  the  people  began  to  love  to  call  Mr.  Gladstone 
the  "Grand  Old  Man."  This  was  partly  because, 
though  he  was  old,  he  was  still  very  wise,  and  also  be- 
cause he  was  six  feet  tall,  with  flashing  eyes  and  a  very 
fine  voice  that  always  commanded  attention. 

When  he  was  not  kept  in  London  by  his  duties,  Mr. 
Gladstone  loved  to  go  to  Hawarden  Castle.  There  he 
had  his  wonderful  collection  of  books  that  he  was  so 
fond  of.  But,  after  a  time,  he  saw  that  he  had  more 
books  than  he  could  find  room  for  at  the  castle,  and  as 
he  also  wanted  others  to  benefit  by  them,  he  established 
the  library  at  St.  Deinol's,  near  Hawarden,  and  pre- 
sented his  beloved  books  to  Wales. 

He  used  to  go  very  often  to  this  library,  and  on  these 
little  journeys  faithful  Petz  trotted  along  by  his  side. 
Petz  did  not  like  these  expeditions  very  much,  for  he 
knew  that  when  his  master  sat  in  a  big  chair  with  one 
of  those  books  in  his  hand,  a  long  time  would  pass  be- 
fore there  would  be  any  more  play.  Petz  was  the  only 
one  who  ever  dared  to  interrupt  Mr.  Gladstone  when 
he  was  reading;  but  it  is  said  that  when  the  little  dog 
thought  that  his  master  had  read  long  enough,  he  used 
to  poke  his  cold  nose  against  the  reader's  hand.  Some- 
times the  "Grand  Old  Man"  was  very  much  interested 
in  his  book  and  did  not  want  to  go  home,  but  he  would 


A    STATESMAN'S    COMPANION       149 

always  rise  with  a  sigh  when  Petz  said  that  time  was 
up,  and  he  frequently  found  that  the  little  Pomeranian 
had  kept  a  better  account  of  the  time  than  he  had. 

In  all  his  walks  about  Hawarden,  Petz  was  always 
to  be  seen  by  Mr.  Gladstone's  side,  and  the  little  dog 
was  also  his  constant  companion  when  he  drove  through 
the  beautiful  Welsh  country. 

Mr.  Gladstone  was  very  fond  of  chopping  down 
trees.  Of  course  he  never  cut  down  a  tree  unless  it  was 
already  dying,  or  else  was  injuring  a  better  tree  by 
growing  too  close  to  it.  And,  while  the  wonderful  old 
man,  whose  name  was  known  and  revered  the  world 
over,  swung  his  ax  as  truly  and  as  swiftly  as  if  he  were 
a  youth,  the  little  Pomeranian  would  lie  patiently  in 
the  shade  and  wink  his  little  black  eyes  each  time  the 
ax  struck  the  tree.  Sometimes  he  would  grow  im- 
patient, and  would  jump  about  his  master  with  plead- 
ing barks,  but  usually  Mr.  Gladstone  did  not  like  to 
stop  until  he  had  cut  the  tree  down. 

Once,  when  he  was  chopping  a  very  large  tree,  dark- 
ness came  on  and  he  had  to  leave  it  when  he  had  cut 
half  the  way  through  it.  That  night  the  wind  whistled 
about  the  castle,  and  we  hear  that  Mr.  Gladstone  lay 
awake  a  long  time,  because  he  feared  that  the  tree 
would  be  blown  down  in  the  wrong  direction  and  per- 
haps might  injure  other  trees. 


150  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

At  last  the  happy  days  for  Petz  came  to  an  end.  His 
dear  master,  who  had  grown  very  old,  became  ill  and 
was  taken  to  Cannes,  a  healthful  place  in  the  South  of 
France,  to  get  better.  Of  course  little  Petz  could  not 
go  to  France,  and  besides  his  master  could  not  take  him 
for  walks  now,  so  Mr.  Gladstone's  daughter  and  her 
husband  invited  him  to  their  home,  near  Hawarden,  for 
a  visit.  One  would  suppose  that  the  little  dog  would 
have  been  happy,  because  he  loved  the  little  girl  who 
lived  at  this  new  home,  and  he  had  always  played  with 
her  when  she  visited  his  master,  who  was  her  grand- 
father. 

But,  after  Mr.  Gladstone  had  gone,  all  the  joy  in  life 
seemed  to  have  departed  from  Petz.  Whenever  he 
could  manage  to  escape  from  his  new  home,  he  would 
run  back  to  Hawarden  and  would  hunt  in  every  well- 
known  corner  for  his  beloved  old  master.  And,  when 
he  could  not  find  him  in  the  castle,  or  in  the  park,  or 
at  the  library,  he  would  utter  sad  little  cries  of  disap- 
pointment. 

At  last  poor  Petz  seemed  to  have  made  up  his  mind 
-that  his  master  had  gone  forever,  so  he  decided  that 
he  did  not  care  to  live  any  longer.  After  awhile,  it 
seemed  to  be  impossible  for  him  to  eat,  just  as  people 
who  are  very  sorrowful  feel  that  they  never  could  be 
hungry  again.  Then  the  time  came  when  the  little 


A   STATESMAN'S    COMPANION       1511 

'dog  did  nothing  but  lie  with  his  head  on  his  paws,  as 
if  he  were  praying  for  the  return  of  his  master. 

The  little  girl  whom  he  loved,  used  to  try  to  get  him 
to  play  with  her  as  he  had  played  at  Hawarden,  but  he 
would  only  raise  his  head  for  a  moment  and  look  at  her 
as  if  he  would  say,  "You  don't  seem  to  understand  that 
I  can  never  play  again." 

And  though  the  people  in  the  house,  where  Petz  was 
visiting,  felt  very  sorry  for  him,  they  could  not  quite 
understand  how  deeply  a  dog  can  grieve,  and  they  felf 
sure  that  he  would  soon  be  well  again  when  his  master 
returned. 

When  the  time  came  that  Mr.  Gladstone  was  well 
enough  to  return  to  Hawarden,  little  Petz  was  taken 
back  to  the  castle  to  welcome  his  loved  one.  How  the 
little  dog's  heart  must  have  beaten  when  he  first  caught 
sight  of  his  "Grand  Old  Man!"  And  no  doubt  he 
jumped  about  and  did  everything  in  his  power  to  pre- 
tend that  he  was  the  same  joyous  little  dog  of  old.  We 
may  be  sure  that  Petz  did  not  want  his  master  to  know 
that  his  little  friend  was  ill,  because  this  knowledge 
would  have  made  the  sick  old  man  very  unhappy.  Yet 
Petz  must  have  felt  that  he  and  his  master  were  going 
to  be  separated  forever  very  soon. 

And  so,  after  only  a  few  short  days,  Petz  had  to  go; 
but  we  must  feel  very  glad  that  he  knew,  before  he 


152  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

died,  that  his  dear  master,  without  whom  he  did  not 
care  to  live,  had  not  deserted  him.  He  was  tenderly 
buried  in  the  dog's  cemetery  near  Hawarden. 

When  the  "Grand  Old  Man"  died  at  last,  the  whole 
world  felt  that  it  had  suffered  a  loss,  and  a  great  many 
books  and  stories  were  written  about  the  brilliant  states- 
man's life.  And,  also,  in  many  languages,  was  told  the 
story  of  the  devotion  of  little  Petz,  who  would  not  live 
to  see  his  master  go  first 


CHAPTER   XXI 
A    MOURNER   WITH    KINGS 

IN  the  year  1910,  the  people  of  Great  Britain  and  her 
colonies  were  very,  very  much  shocked  to  hear 
that  their  king  had  died.  Edward  VII,  the  eldest  son 
of  the  good  queen,  Victoria,  had  not  been  king  a  great 
many  years,  though  he  had  helped  his  old  mother  to 
rule  for  a  long  time,  and  the  people  had  come  to  love 
him  very  much  indeed. 

Until  his  mother  died,  Edward  was  always  known  as 
the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  it  is  interesting  to  know  that 
he  was  only  one  month  old  when  his  loving  mother 
gave  him  this  title.  He  was  born  on  a  day  that  used 
always  to  be  kept  as  a  great  holiday  in  London.  For 
his  birthday,  November  9,  is  the  day  on  which  the  new 
Lord  Mayor  of  London  takes  his  seat  at  the  Guildhall, 
where  he  conducts  his  business.  And,  formerly,  a  very 
curious  procession  used  to  take  place  on  this  occasion, 
so  that  the  people  in  London  were  always  in  a  very  gay 
humor.  The  day  always  ends  with  a  splendid  banquet 
at  the  Guildhall,  and  it  was  while  this  dinner  was  going 
153 


154  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

on  that  the  Lord  Mayor  and  his  guests  heard  of  the 
birth  of  the  baby  prince. 

The  good  men  at  the  long  tables  were  very  much 
pleased  indeed  to  hear  the  good  news,  and  they  at  once 
rose  to  their  feet  and  drank  the  health  of  the  little  boy 
who  was,  some  day,  to  be  their  king.  It  must  have  been 
a  wonderful  sight  when  all  these  wise  and  noted  men 
rose  from  their  banquet  to  honor  a  little  baby,  in  cele- 
bration of  whose  birth  guns  were  being  fired,  and  bells 
were  ringing,  all  over  the  country. 

Almost  six  hundred  years  before  this  little  prince 
was  born,  the  first  English  prince  who  was  to  bear  the 
title  of  Prince  of  Wales,  was  carried  in  the  King  of 
England's  arms  out  to  the  battlements  of  the  castle  at 
Carnarvon,  in  Wales.  There  he  was  held  up  before 
the  assembled  delighted  people  who,  with  joyous  cries, 
accepted  him  as  their  leader. 

It  seems  that  the  king  had  promised  to  give  the 
people  a  prince  who  was  good,  and  who  could  not  speak 
a  word  of  the  English  language.  Of  course  the  people 
saw  that  a  little  trick  had  been  played  on  them  when 
the  tiny  English  prince  was  shown  to  them,  but  they 
felt  that  the  king  had  kept  his  word,  for  the  little  baby 
could  not  speak  a  word  of  any  language,  and  they  good- 
naturedly  agreed  to  submit  to  him. 

The  little  son  of  Queen  Victoria  was  always  called 


A   MOURNER   WITH    KINGS          155 

Albert,  until  he  became  king,  when  he  used  his  second 
name,  Edward,  because  there  had  been  six  other  King 
Edwards  before  him.  When  the  day  came  for  him  to 
be  baptized,  the  snow  was  falling  and  it  was  very  cold 
and  unpleasant.  On  this  same  day,  the  old  Duke  of 
Wellington,  who  was  so  fond  of  his  horse,  Copenhagen, 
had  promised  to  present  a  new  flag  to  one  of  the  cele- 
brated regiments  in  the  English  army.  This  presenta- 
tion was  to  take  place  at  Windsor,  where  the  prince  was 
to  be  baptized  at  the  royal  palace,  and  notwithstanding 
it  was  so  stormy,  the  good  old  duke  kept  his  word  and 
gave  the  flag  to  the  proud  soldiers. 

While  the  ceremony  was  going  on,  Queen  Victoria 
appeared  at  one  of  the  castle  windows,  and,  by  her 
side,  her  little  son  was  held  up  by  his  nurse,  so  that  the 
soldiers  could  see  him.  As  soon  as  the  royal  mother 
and  her  baby  were  seen,  the  hero  of  Waterloo  stood  up 
in  his  stirrups  and,  with  a  wave  of  his  hat,  led  the  cheers 
that  greeted  them.  The  prince  must  have  felt  very 
proud,  when  he  grew  old  enough  to  know  about  it,  that 
the  "Iron  Duke"  cheered  him  that  day. 

Of  course  Queen  Victoria  was  a  very  kind  mother, 
and  the  young  Prince  of  Wales  and  his  brothers  and 
sisters  were  given  everything  to  make  them  happy.  At 
one  time,  Tom  Thumb,  the  dwarf,  went  to  Windsor 
Castle  and  performed  for  the  little  princes  and  prin- 


156  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

cesses,  and  the  children  screamed  with  delight  when 
they  saw  this  funny  little  man  clamber  up  on  a  table 
and  dance. 

Though  the  Prince  of  Wales  had  a  happy  childhood, 
he  also  had  a  very  busy  one,  for  of  course  a  boy,  who 
was  to  be  King  of  England  some  day,  had  a  great  deal 
to  learn.  He  was  always  very  fond  of  animals,  and 
when  he  went  to  one  of  the  big  universities,  a  New- 
foundland dog  that  was  very  much  attached  to  him, 
insisted  on  going  too.  Though  the  dog  was  put  out  of 
the  carriage  several  times,  he  always  managed  to  find 
his  way  back,  so  at  last  the  prince  gave  orders  for  him 
to  be  allowed  to  remain,  and  in  the  end  the  proud  dog 
went  to  college. 

After  the  prince  had  finished  his  education,  he 
traveled  a  great  deal,  and  even  crossed  the  Atlantic,  so 
that  he  might  visit  Canada  and  the  United  States.  The 
people  were  all  very  glad  to  see  him,  so  that  he  was 
much  pleased  with  his  visit  to  America,  and  was  always 
yery  fond  of  Americans  after  that.  He  visited  Wash- 
ington's tomb,  at  Mount  Vernon,  and  he  and  President 
Buchanan  stood  before  it  with  heads  bared  in  honor  of 
the  hero  of  the  War  of  Independence. 

When  he  grew  a  little  older,  the  prince  was  married 
to  a  very  beautiful  and  good  princess,  whose  father  was 
the  King  of  Denmark. 


A   MOURNER   WITH    KINGS          157 

We  might  suppose  that  a  prince's  life  is  a  very  easy 
and  idle  one,  but  this  was  not  the  case  with  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  for  he  had  very  little  time  that  he  could  call 
his  own.  Then,  too,  his  life  was  sometimes  in  danger. 
Once,  when  he  was  going  to  Denmark  to  see  his  father- 
in-law,  a  crazy  man  at  Brussels  tried  to  shoot  the  prince. 
The  train  was  just  leaving  the  station  when  the  insane 
man  jumped  to  the  door  of  the  car  and  fired  several 
shots.  Fortunately,  he  was  not  a  good  shot  and  no  harm 
was  done.  We  are  told  that  the  prince  was  very  brave 
on  this  occasion,  and  that  he  quickly  gave  orders  for 
the  man  who  fired  at  him  to  be  protected  from  the 
angry  people. 

The  prince  and  his  wife  lived  sometimes  at  a  very 
pretty  place,  called  Sandringham,  out  in  the  country, 
and  there  they  were  fond  of  collecting  a  very  great 
number  of  pets  of  all  kinds.  There  were  dogs  of  all 
breeds  there,  and  among  them  was  Caesar,  a  little  wire- 
haired  terrier,  who  very  soon  'became  the  prince's  best- 
loved  pet. 

The  prince  loved  to  walk  through  the  park  at  Sand- 
ringham with  little  Caesar  by  his  side,  and  Caesar  never 
allowed  his  master  to  get  out  of  his  sight  if  he  could 
help  it. 

When  good  old  Queen  Victoria  died,  the  prince  be- 
came King  Edward  VII,  and  after  a  time  great  prep- 


158  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

arations  were  made  for  his  coronation.  But  only  two 
days  before  this  ceremony  was  to  take  place,  the  king 
became  very  ill,  and  for  many  days  his  loving  subjects 
waited  anxiously,  day  after  day,  for  the  news,  until  at 
last  they  heard  that  he  was  better,  and  a  little  later  the 
coronation  took  place. 

For  a  little  over  nine  years,  Edward  ruled  very  wisely 
and  became  more  and  more  beloved  by  his  people,  so 
that  when  he  died  after  a  short  illness,  his  subjects  were 
very,  very  sorry. 

Poor  little  Caesar  could  not  understand  why  he  could 
not  see  his  master,  while  the  king  was  ill,  for  Edward 
had  never  refused  to  allow  the  little  dog  to  come  into 
his  room  when  a  gentle  little. scratch  was  heard  at  the 
door.  After  the  king  died,  we  hear  that  Caesar  went  to 
all  the  palaces  where  he  had  been  used  to  seeing  his 
master,  in  search  of  him.  He  could  not  get  lost,  for  he 
wore  a  collar  on  which  were  the  words:  "I  am  Caesar, 
and  I  belong  to  the  king,"  so  that  no  one  would  dare 
to  steal  him. 

The  people  were  so  grieved  by  the  death  of  their 
dear  king  that  they  decided  to  have  the  most  beautiful 
funeral  that  England  had  ever  seen.  And  not  only  the 
English  people  wished  to  honor  Edward,  but  kings  and 
princes  came  from  all  over  the  world  to  ride  behind 
his  body.  For  days  before  the  funeral,  Caesar  was  very 


A   MOURNER   WITH    KINGS          159 

sad.  Perhaps  he  wondered  if  he  had  done  something 
wrong  and  was  being  punished  for  it;  or,  more  likely, 
he  knew  that  he  would  never  see  his  master  again. 

But  Caesar  had  not  been  forgotten,  and  arrangements 
were  made  for  him  to  be  as  near  as  possible  to  the  king's 
body  in  the  procession.  And  ie  felt  almost  happy  for 
a  moment  when  he  was  waiting  for  the  wonderful  pro- 
cession to  be  formed.  As  he  sat  sadly  by  the  servant 
who  was  to  lead  him,  looking  eagerly  in  every  direction 
in  the  hope  of  seeing  his  dear  master  coming  toward 
him  as  of  old,  the  gracious  queen  passed  and  gently 
patted  the  heartbroken  little  dog.  Though  the  good 
queen's  heart  was  broken,  too,  she  forgot  her  own 
sorrow  for  a  moment  to  comfort  poor  little  Caesar;  and 
when  she  saw  his  thankful  eyes  and  felt  him  lick  her 
hand,  she  must  have  been  very  glad  that  she  had  noticed 
him. 

At  last  the  procession  started,  and  the  greatest  city 
in  the  world  grew  silent  as  its  king  set  out  on  his  last 
journey  through  its  streets. 

A  stranger  would  have  had  difficulty  in  believing 
that  this  was  a  funeral  procession.  For  the  gun  car- 
riage, on  which  Edward's  body  lay,  was  drawn  by 
eight  splendid  black  artillery  horses,  and  was  covered 
with  a  cream-colored  pall  on  which  were  spread  the 
crown  and  other  court  jewels.  Next  came  the  Royal 


160  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

Standard,  the  royal  flag  of  England,  then  the  king's 
favorite  charger  and  behind  him  the  devoted  little 
Caesar  led  by  a  Highlander  servant.  It  is  said  that  many 
people  cried  when  they  saw  the  king's  pet  terrier,  who, 
no  doubt,  was  one  of  the  saddest  mourners  in  the 
procession. 

Behind  the  humble  little  dog  walked  nine  kings  and 
almost  all  the  princes  of  the  earth,  and  again  behind 
them,  dukes  and  lords  and  celebrated  men  from  all 
parts  of  the  world.  There  were  princes  from  India 
dressed  in  beautiful  costumes  trimmed  with  diamonds 
and  other  precious  stones,  and  others  from  Japan, 
China,  Egypt  and  Siam,  all  wearing  the  curious,  but 
gorgeous  dresses  of  their  countries.  And  then  there 
was  the  sad  queen  in  a  coach  that  was  almost  all  glass, 
though,  of  course  she  would  much  sooner  have  been  in 
a  closed  carnage  so  that  her  grief  could  not  be  seen. 

Among  the  other  great  men  who  were  glad  to  follow 
in  honor  of  the  dead  king  was  Colonel  Theodore 
Roosevelt,  ex-President  of  the  United  States,  and  we 
may  be  sure  that  he,  who  so  loved  animals  of  all  kinds, 
was  very  sorry  for  the  lonely  little  dog  who  walked  at 
the  head  of  that  mile-long  procession  of  great  and  good 
men. 

The  sides  of  the  streets  were  lined  with  soldiers  in 
gay  uniforms,  and  behind  them  the  sidewalks  and  cross 


A   MOURNER   WITH    KINGS          161 

streets  were  crowded  with  thousands  of  sad  people  who 
wished  to  pay  a  last  tribute  to  their  king. 

And  so  the  little  terrier  marched  behind  his  master, 
as  he  had  so  often  done  when  the  king  was  alive,  while 
the  procession  moved  out  of  Parliament  Square  at 
Westminster,  and  Big  Ben,  the  great  bell  in  the  tower, 
tolled  solemnly  each  minute.  As  the  widow-queen 
came  from  the  Abbey,  she  stooped  again  and  patted 
Caesar's  head,  and  the  dog  knew  that  this  good  and 
tender-hearted  lady  would  always  be  kind  to  him. 
The  thought  of  that  gentle  caress  must  have  comforted 
Caesar  very  much  on  the  long,  sad  walk  to  Paddington 
Station. 

Good  King  Edward  would  have  been  very  glad  to 
know  that  his  faithful  little  friend  had  the  place  of 
honor  at  this  time,  and  if  Caesar  was  not  too  sad,  he  must 
have  been  very  proud  to  think  that  he  was  so  remem- 
bered when  there  was  so  much  to  be  thought  of  and 
arranged. 

Little  Caesar  has  followed  his  master  now,  but  he  was 
made  as  happy  and  comfortable  as  possible  as  long  as 
he  lived.  Still,  we  cannot  help  believing  that  he  always 
looked  hopefully  for  the  return  of  his  beloved  master, 
and  that  he  wondered  and  wondered  why  the  loved  one 
was  so  long  away. 


CHAPTER  XXII 
A   CHIEFTAIN   OF   HEROES 

IN  our  times,  when  numbers  of  tourists  visit  the 
Hospice,  or  Inn,  of  St.  Bernard  in  Switzerland, 
it  is  difficult  to  realize  the  melancholy  loneliness  en- 
dured by  the  good  monks  in  those  days  when  travelers 
passed  at  rare  intervals.  The  great  St  Bernard  Pass, 
which  lies  between  Mt.  Blanc  and  the  Matterhorn 
heights  of  the  Alps,  used  to  be  crossed  chiefly  by 
pilgrims  to  Rome.  Sometimes  these  pious  people  fool- 
ishly tried  to  make  their  way  across  in  winter,  when 
the  pass  and  mountainside  were  thick  with  snow,  and 
blizzards  swept  down  at  frequent  intervals.  Then  the 
pilgrims,  blinded  by  the  driving  storm,  would  lose  their 
bearings  sometimes,  and,  after  wandering,  perhaps  for 
'days,  would  finally  sink  down  from  weariness,  sooa  to 
be  covered  by  the  snow. 

At  last,  Saint  Bernard  of  Menthon,  a  monk,  founded 
the  Hospice  of  St.  Bernard,  and  a  group  of  monks  came 
to  live  at  this  desolate  spot,  high  above  where  any  trees 
can  grow,  so  as  to  be  at  hand  to  lend  aid  to  exhausted 
travelers.  But  the  noble  monks  soon  discovered  that, 
162 


A   CHIEFTAIN   OF   HEROES          163 

alone,  they  could  seldom  find  the  drift-covered  pilgrims 
in  the  blinding  storms,  so  they  brought  some  dogs  up  to 
the  Pass,  and  trained  them  to  hunt  for  wanderers.  It  is 
said  that  the  St.  Bernard  dogs  came  originally  from  the 
Pyrenees  mountains  in  Spain,  but  they  have  been  bora 
and  have  lived  so  long  at  St.  Bernard  now,  that  per- 
haps no  one  knows  exactly  where  their  ancestors  came 
from. 

To  teach  the  dogs  to  find  the  lost  pilgrims,  one  of 
the  monks  would  cover  himself  with  snow,  far  out  on 
the  mountainside,  and  then  the  dogs  would  be  sent  out 
to  find  him.  Of  course  they  were  made  much  of  when 
they  were  successful,  so  that  they  soon  understood  what 
they  were  expected  to  do.  To  the  dogs'  collars,  small 
barrels,  containing  food  and  drink,  were  fastened,  anb! 
many  an  exhausted  traveler  was  saved  from  death  by 
these  little  barrels. 

A  visit  to  the  Hospice  of  St.  Bernard  is  one  of  the 
journeys  that  visitors  to  Switzerland  love  to  make. 
Usually  they  set  out  from  beautiful  Lake  Geneva,  or 
Lake  Leman  as  the  Swiss  call  it,  and  travel  up  the  val- 
ley of  the  River  Rhone  until  they  come  to  the  little 
town  of  Montigny.  From  Montigny  they  ride  on  a 
rickety  railroad  to  Orsieres  where  they  spend  the  night 
at  a  very  quaint  little  hotel. 

They  will  perhaps  sleep,  at  this  hotel,  in  an  enor- 


1 64  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

mous  bedroom  with  stone  floors,  and  possessing  but  one 
tiny  window  through  which  very  little  daylight  can 
make  its  way.  But  they  will  have  remarkably  good 
things  to  eat  and  will  be  almost  sorry  to  leave. 

Early  the  next  morning,  they  will  squeeze  themselves 
into  the  little  post  chaise  and  set  out  on  the  long,  and 
rather  tedious,  climb  to  Bourg  St.  Pierre  where  they 
will  find  an  inn  with  a  curiously  long  name.  It  seems 
that  Napoleon  stopped  at  this  inn  when  he  crossed  the 
Alps  to  fight  the  battle  of  Marengo,  and,  ever  since,  the 
inn  has  been  called  the  Hotel  du  Dejeuner  du  Napoleon 
Premier — that  is,  the  Hotel  of  Napoleon  the  First's 
Breakfast. 

The  landlady  of  this  hotel  never  grows  tired  of  show- 
ing the  bedroom  that  the  great  Napoleon  slept  in.  She 
points  out  his  bed,  writing  table,  and  many  other  inter- 
esting things  with  a  great  deal  of  pride. 

From  Bourg  St.  Pierre,  which  means  the  town  of  Si 
Peter,  the  traveler  continues  to  climb  up  and  up  until 
suddenly,  without  any  warning,  he  turns  a  sharp  corner 
and  there,  in  the  mist,  stands  the  Hospice  of  St.  Bernard 
with  the  celebrated  dogs  playing  about  in  front  of  it. 

It  seems  always  to  be  misty  at  St.  Bernard,  when  it 
is  not  snowing,  and  the  climate  has  a  very  bad  effect  on 
the  poor  monks  who  become  old  and  ill  in  a  very  few 
years. 


A   CHIEFTAIN   OF   HEROES          165 

These  good  men  are  always  glad  to  see  visitors, 
though,  and  will  take  them  into  their  inn  and  feed 
them  for  one  night  free  of  charge.  Usually  people, 
who  can  afford  it,  drop  some  money  into  a  box  which  is 
placed  on  the  wall  for  that  purpose;  but  many,  many 
poor  travelers  are  fed  and  lodged  without  any  payment. 

There  are  now  two  inns  at  St.  Bernard,  but  it  is  easy 
to  tell  the  old  building  from  the  newer  one,  because  the 
severe  weather  has  turned  almost  black  the  grey  stone 
of  the  old  inn. 

In  the  reception-room  of  the  inn  the  monks  like  to 
show  a  piano  that  was  given  to  them  by  King  Edward 
VII  of  England,  when  he  was  Prince  of  Wales,  and 
they  also  point  out  a  painting  of  Barry,  a  St.  Bernard 
dog  who  made  so  many  rescues  that  he  became  famous 
even  among  those  who  are  always  performing  acts  of 
heroism. 

In  these  days,  when  travelers  to  Italy  usually  go  by 
train  through  either  the  Simplon  or  St.  Gothard  tun- 
nels, there  is,  of  course,  not  so  much  call  for  the  services 
of  the  dogs,  but  they  are  always  ready  in  case  they  are 
needed  and  even  now,  when  people  attempt  to  climb  the 
mountains  in  winter,  these  noble  creatures  have  oppor- 
tunities to  show  their  sagacity  and  courage. 

Behind  the  Hospice  there  are  two  sign  posts.  One 
of  these  is  in  Switzerland  and  the  other  in  Italy,  and 


166  FAMOUS   FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

many  travelers  walk  a  few  miles  from  St  Bernard  into 
Italy  and  return  to  Switzerland  by  another  road 

Barry's  name  will  never  be  forgotten  as  long  as  the 
Hospice  of  St.  Bernard  exists.  Even  if  the  other  dogs 
failed,  Barry  could  almost  always  have  been  depended 
upon  to  find  a  lost  traveler,  and  it  is  said  that  on  one 
occasion  he  stayed  for  three  days  beside  a  lost  and 
almost-frozen  man,  and  mat  the  traveler  kept  himself 
alive  by  lying  close  to  the  great  dog's  warm  body. 

The  dogs  at  SL  Bernard  are  not  clumsy  and  lazy  as 
are  the  St  Bernards  that  we  usually  see.  They  seem 
to  be  full  of  life,  and  some  of  them  are  very  savage 
with  strangers  when  the  dogs  are  visited  in  their 
kennels.  But  these  savage  ones  are  just  as  faithful  and 
valuable  when  a  lost  traveler  is  to  be  sought,  and  they 
are  as  gende  as  possible  when  they  are  doing  their  duty. 

We  cannot  look  at  these  wonderful  dogs  without 
wondering  at  their  splendid  courage.  However  deep 
the  snow  may  be,  and  though  the  wind  may  be  hurling 
great  drifts  down  the  mountainside,  these  brave  fellows 
set  oat  at  the  word  of  command  and  cheerfully  risk 
their  lives.  And  none  the  less  to  be  admired,  are  the 
brave  Brothers  who,  no  matter  the  weather,  are  always 
ready  to  give  their  lives  for  others,  so  that  the  Hospice 
of  St  Bernard  might  well  be  called  the  Home  of 
Heroes. 


A  CHIEFTAIN  OF  HEROES          167 

The  monks  do  not  care  to  tell  about  what  they  have 
done,  hot  they  love  their  dogs,  and  their  greatest  pride 
is  to  show  the  families  of  little  round  furry  puppies  to 
visitors. 

And  the  good  brothers  seldom  allow  the  visitor  to 
depart  without  speaking  with  affection  and  pride  of 
Barry,  who  even  in  such  a  brotherhood  of  devotion  to 
duty,  stands  out  prominently  as  the  bravest  of  them  alL 


CHAPTER   XXIII 
A   CITY'S    SHEEP    DOG 

MANY  fathers  and  mothers  in  the  City  of  New 
York,  whose  little  children  now  go  almost 
every  day  to  play  in  beautiful  Central  Park,  remember, 
with  affection,  James  Conway,  who  took  care  of  the 
city's  sheep  for  so  many  years. 

When  these  parents  were  little  children  themselves, 
Conway  was  patiently  guarding  his  charges,  and  ten- 
derly caring  for  the  delicate  little  lambs  when  danger 
seemed  to  threaten  them.  And  all  through  the  years 
while  those  that  were  children  almost  fifty  years  ago, 
were  growing  to  be  men  and  women,  the  faithful 
shepherd  never  deserted  his  flock  even  for  one  day's 
vacation. 

Conway's  only  pleasure  was  the  care  of  the  sheep 
that  the  city  had  placed  in  his  charge.  He  lived  in  a 
tiny  little  cottage  near  the  sheepfold  so  that  he  might 
always  be  near  at  hand  in  case  his  pets  should  need 
him.  At  daybreak  he  would  rise  to  see  that  no  foe  had 
attacked  them  in  the  night,  and  to  lead  them  out  to 
pasture  while  the  grass  was  still  sweet  with  the  dew. 

168 


A   CITY'S    SHEEP    DOG  169 

The  old  shepherd  was  always  very  proud  when 
strangers  admired  his  sheep,  and  he  loved  to  tell  the 
children  all  about  them.  Often,  when  the  young  lambs 
were  staggering  awkwardly  about  their  mothers,  he 
would  lift  up  one  of  the  woolly  little  creatures  and 
let  a  delighted  child  pat  its  soft  coat.  The  mother 
sheep  did  not  at  all  mind  this,  because  they  loved  Con- 
way  and  felt  confident  that  he  would  never  harm  their 
little  ones. 

Conway  had  many  friends,  and  among  these  was 
Mr.  J.  P.  Morgan,  the  well-known  banker,  who  used 
to  love  to  sit  and  talk  with  the  old  shepherd  and  to 
listen  to  his  interesting  tales  of  the  sheep  and  of  hap- 
penings in  his  beloved  park.  For  the  shepherd  had 
seen  many  strange  sights  during  the  long  years  that  he 
had  sat  silently  watching  his  wards.  Sometimes  run- 
away horses  had  torn  past  the  quiet  pasture  while 
frightened  women  and  children  screamed  and  hurried 
out  of  danger.  Then,  close  behind  the  runaway,  a 
mounted  policeman  would  appear,  urging  his  gallop- 
ing horse  on  at  top  speed,  and  Conway  would  heave  a 
sigh  of  relief  when  he  saw  that  the  policeman  had  seized 
the  runaway's  bridle  and  that  the  peril  was  over. 

Perhaps,  on  the  whole,  no  one  in  the  bustling,  noisy 
City  of  New  York  ever  lived  as  peaceful  a  life  as  James 
Conway.  He  had  few  cares  in  the  world,  probably, 


i7o  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

beyond  the  little  sorrows  that  were  caused  by  the  ill- 
ness, or  death,  of  one  of  his  pets.  Sometimes  it  became 
necessary  to  sell  some  of  the  sheep  when  the  flock  grew 
too  large.  The  parting  with  those  that  he  had  tended 
carefully  from  the  time  they  were  little  lambs  was 
always  painful  to  the  shepherd,  but  he  knew  that  it 
was  necessary. 

Conway  was  a  very  sturdy  old  man,  and  it  was  often 
remarked  that  he  never  wore  an  overcoat,  even  in  the 
coldest  weather.  But,  though  he  might  appear  to  be 
careless  about  his  own  health,  he  kept  a  very  careful 
eye  on  the  lambs,  and  hastened  to  see  that  they  were 
well  sheltered  in  case  a  storm  swept  over  the 
pasture. 

Mr.  J.  P.  Morgan  became  so  much  interested  in 
Conway  and  his  flock,  that  one  day  a  splendid  collie 
arrived  at  the  park  as  a  present  from  the  great  banker. 
Mr.  Morgan  was  very  fond  of  collies,  and  had  some  of 
the  finest  in  the  world  in  his  kennels,  so  that  Conway 
was  delighted  when  he  became  the  owner  of  Jack,  as 
he  named  the  dog. 

After  this  Jack  became  as  attentive  as  his  new  master 
to  the  sheep.  Early  in  the  morning  he  would  follow 
the  flock  out  to  pasture,  careful  that  none  should  stray, 
or  wander  into  the  public  drive  where  they  would  be 
in  danger.  All  day  long  Jack  would  lie  by  his  master, 


A   CITY'S    SHEEP    DOG  171 

ever  keeping  a  watchful  eye  on  the  sheep,  or  perhaps 
walking  round  them  at  intervals  to  assure  himself  that 
all  was  well. 

Many  tired  visitors  to  the  park  left  with  happy 
memories  of  the  peaceful  scene  at  the  sheep  pasture. 
The  broad,  smooth  sweep  of  green,  with  the  sheep 
dotted  about  it,  the  long  shadows  slipping  across,  as 
the  sun  fell  behind  the  high  buildings  outside  the  park, 
and  the  old  shepherd  with  his  faithful  dog  at  his  feet, 
all  reminded  them  of  the  dear  country  homes  that  they 
longed  so  to  see  once  more. 

For  forty- five  years  James  Conway  devoted  himself 
to  his  beloved  sheep,  and  then  old  age  forced  him  to 
rest.  He  could  not  live  away  from  his  sheep,  however, 
and  daily  he  would  visit  the  pasture,  and  sometimes 
he  would  chat  with  the  new  shepherd.  But  more  often 
he  would  sit  on  a  bench  by  the  side  of  the  pasture,  and, 
with  his  tired  old  eyes  fastened  on  his  beloved  sheep, 
would  dream  of  the  long,  long  years  that  were  gone 
forever. 

And  so,  at  last,  when  he  was  almost  eighty  years  of 
age,  the  faithful  Conway  was  called  away  from  his 
sheep,  and  Jack  was  left  alone.  But  not  for  long.  Jack 
could  find  no  joy  in  life  after  his  dear  master  had  left 
him,  and  he  soon  began  to  pine  away  and  to  get  weaker 
day  by  day.  For  two  years  he  tried  to  live  without 


172  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

Conway,  but  the  task  was  too  hopeless  and  so  he,  too, 
said  "goodby"  to  the  sheep. 

Many  of  us  who  hasten  through  the  clamorous,  busy 
streets  of  New  York,  and,  perhaps,  only  cross  the  park 
because  we  desire  to  escape  for  a  moment  the  nerve- 
racking  sounds  of  elevated  trains,  automobiles  and  street 
cars,  never  pause  to  think  how  wonderful  it  is  to  come 
suddenly  on  such  a  restful  scene  as  the  sheep  pasture. 
And  so  James  Conway  and  his  faithful  dog  lived  their 
peaceful  life,  almost  unaware  of  the  wickedness  and 
strife  that  were  around  them,  just  outside  the  low  walls 
of  the  park. 

But  while  many  hurried  past  the  old  man  and  his 
constant  companion  and  friend  with  only  a  passing 
glance,  others  loitered  to  hear  the  interesting  story  of 
the  shepherd  and  his  flock.  And  a  little  lump  arose  in 
their  throats  when  they  read  that  James  Conway  had 
led  his  sheep  to  the  pasture  for  the  last  time.  Again, 
when  the  papers  told  of  Jack's  going,  it  was  felt  that  he 
was  but  doing  now  as  he  had  so  lovingly  done  for  many 
years :  following  his  master  to  the  peaceful  pasture. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
TWO   MODERN   DOG   HEROES 

OF  course  we  all,  who  are  lovers  of  animals,  believe 
that  the  horses  and  dogs  of  the  present  time  are 
quite  as  courageous  and  noble  as  those  that  the  old 
writers  used  to  like  to  tell  about  So  that  it  is  very 
pleasant  to  read  about  two  dogs,  who,  in  the  Great  War, 
while  the  big  cannons  roared  and  the  machine-guns  and 
rifles  rattled,  thought  only  of  the  safety  of  their  masters. 

We  have  all  read  about  the  dreadful  war  that  began 
in  1914,  and  we  know  that  the  system  of  righting  in  this 
war  was  quite  different  from  any  that  was  ever  used 
before.  We  have  read,  and  have  seen  pictures,  of  the 
deep  ditches,  or  trenches,  in  which  the  men  hid  to  try 
to  escape  the  enemy's  shots.  Our  newspapers  told  us 
how,  in  this  kind  of  fighting,  the  soldiers  had  to  stay  for 
days,  and  sometimes  weeks,  in  these  narrow  trenches 
which  were  often  half  full  of  water,  and  how,  even 
though  they  were  far  under  ground,  the  poor  fellows 
were  by  no  means  safe  from  the  terrible  shells. 

It  is  wonderful,  indeed,  that  dogs  could  so  overcome 
173 


174  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

their  fright  at  the  alarming  noise  that  continued  in  and 
around  these  trenches,  all  night  long  as  well  as  in  the 
daytime.  Yet  many  of  these  faithful  creatures  accom- 
panied their  masters,  some  perhaps  from  peaceful 
farms  where  they  had  never  heard  more  alarming  noises 
than  the  lowing  of  the  cattle,  and  cheerfully  endured 
the  horrors  and  discomfort,  to  be  close  by  the  side  of 
those  they  loved  best 

This  story  is  about  Fend  1'Air — which  means,  cleave 
the  air — a  little  black  and  white  setter,  who  went  to  the 
trenches  with  his  master,  named  Jacquemin,  a  soldier 
in  one  of  the  Zouave  regiments  of  France.  These 
Zouaves  are  very  athletic  and  quick,  and  are  also  so 
brave  that  they  are  usually  chosen  to  be  sent  to  the 
most  dangerous  places. 

How  this  poor  little  dog  must  have  wondered  what 
all  the  bustle  and  noise  meant,  when  he  and  his  master 
arrived  at  the  big  military  camp  where  there  were 
soldiers  drilling  on  all  sides,  and  horses  galloping  in 
every  direction  with  excited  riders  on  their  backs. 
Then,  too,  he  had  to  keep  his  eyes  open  to  avoid  those 
other  teams  of  strong  horses  that  went  galloping  by, 
dragging  great  cannons  behind  them;  not  to  mention 
the  motor-cars  that  rushed  about  wildly.  After  awhile, 
when  the  Zouaves  set  out  for  the  front,  and  the  dog 
trotted  along  gaily  beside  his  master,  very  likely 


Jack,  the  sheep  dog  of  Central  Park,  with  his  master,  James  Conroy— 
a  millionaire's  gift  to  a  faithful  shepherd. 


TWO   MODERN    DOG   HEROES        175 

Jacquemin,  not  knowing  what  Fend  1'Air  was  to  do 
for  him  later,  tried  to  send  him  home. 

As  they  approached  nearer  and  nearer,  day  by  day, 
to  the  front,  where  the  booming  of  guns  could  be  heard 
all  night  long,  the  brave  heart  of  the  little  dog  must 
have  turned  cold  as  he  lay  cuddled  up  close  beside  his 
master.  Then,  when  they  finally  reached  the  dreadful 
trenches,  and  it  began  to  rain  and  continued  to  rain, 
day  after  day,  so  that  neither  the  dog  nor  his  master 
knew  what  it  was  to  be  dry  or  warm,  Fend  1'Air  must 
indeed  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  men- 
animals  had  all  gone  mad. 

He  knew  what  the  consequences  of  going  mad  were 
to  a  dog,  and,  when  he  saw  men  shooting  one  another, 
it  would  be  quite  natural  for  him  to  suppose  that  they 
had  lost  their  minds.  Still,  he  stayed  on,  never  allow- 
ing his  master  out  of  his  sight,  though  horrible  bullets 
whistled,  and  alarming,  great,  noisy  shells  roared  past 
with  a  rumble  like  an  express  train;  or  plunged  to  the 
ground  and  exploded  with  a  still  more  horrifying 
sound. 

Sometimes,  for  days,  he  and  his  master  had  to  lie 
crouched  up  in  a  little,  narrow  space,  so  cramped  that 
they  could  barely  move  their  limbs  when  the  oppor- 
tunity came.  Then,  too,  there  came  awful  moments 
when  even  the  brave  Jacquemin  felt  as  though  he  could 


176  FAMOUS   FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

stand  the  strain  no  longer.  But  at  these  times  a  little 
cold  nose  would  be  snuggled  into  his  hand,  and  the 
faithful  eyes  of  Fend  1'Air  would  be  fixed  on  his 
master's  face  with  a  steady,  heartening  gaze,  and 
courage  would  return. 

And  so  the  days  passed,  with  never  any  rest,  never 
any  comfort,  never  any  silence,  until  at  last  one  of  those 
terrible  shells  fell  into  the  trench  near  where  Jacquemin 
stood,  with  his  rifle  in  his  hand,  eager  for  the  command 
to  charge  at  the  enemy.  There  was  a  hideous  roar,  the 
trench  was  split,  as  if  by  an  earthquake,  and  when  Fend 
1'Air  looked  about  for  his  master,  Jacquemin  was  no- 
where to  be  seen. 

But  Nature  had  graciously  bestowed  on  Fend  1'Air  a 
sense  more  valuable  even  than  sight,  and  after  a  space  of 
frantic,  heartbreaking  seeking,  the  dog  scented  his 
master.  In  an  instant,  he  knew  that  Jacquemin  was 
somewhere  under  the  great  mound  of  earth  and  stones 
that  the  exploding  shell  had  piled  up,  and,  doubtless, 
he  also  realized  that  his  beloved  master  would  smother 
unless  he  were  rescued  very  soon. 

What  was  to  be  done?  He  could  not  make  up  his 
mind  to  leave  the  spot,  where  he  knew  that  Jacquemin 
lay  far  down  under  the  earth,  even  to  call  for  aid. 
Besides,  the  horrid  shells  were  falling  all  about  him, 
and  it  would  never  do  for  him  to  be  hit  by  one  of  those 


TWO   MODERN    DOG    HEROES        177 

wicked  monsters  when  he  was  so  much  needed.  There 
was  but  one  thing  to  do.  He  must,  all  by  himself,  dig 
Jacquemin  out. 

So,  at  the  seemingly  hopeless  task  this  little  dog  set 
himself,  putting  all  fear  beside  him  and  thinking  only 
of  the  loved  one  whose  rescue  he  was  determined  to 
effect.  Frantically  he  dug  and  dug,  casting  the  earth 
and  stones  in  all  directions  with  his  little  fore  paws  that 
grew  so  sore  and  so  weary.  Nevertheless,  he  persisted, 
and  at  last — oh  joyous  moment! — Jacquemin's  face  ap- 
peared, and  little  exhausted  Fend  1'Air  saw  that  his 
master  still  breathed. 

For  three  long  days  and  nights,  Fend  1'Air  sat  by  his 
master's  face — which  was  all  that  was  visible — until 
at  last  a  rescuing  party  came  up,  and  Jacquemin  was 
released  and  carried  back  to  the  rear.  With  him,  of 
course,  went  the  hero,  Fend  1'Air,  and  when  the  brave 
soldier  was  transferred  to  the  American  Hospital  in 
Paris  to  get  quite  well  again,  he  insisted  that  his  faithful 
little  dog  must  accompany  him. 

After  a  time,  the  high  officers  of  the  army  heard  of 
Fend  1'Air's  deed,  and  they  decorated  him  with  a  medal 
for  bravery,  while  the  soldiers  presented  arms  and  the 
band  played  the  Marseillais  hymn,  just  as  if  he  were  a 
real,  human  hero. 

And,  when  the  brave  Jacquemin  grew  well  enough 


178  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED    FRIENDS 

to  go  back  to  fight  for  his  dear  country,  he  left  Fend 
1'Air — the  best  loved  dog  in  France — in  the  care  of  the 
gentle  nurses  at  the  American  Ambulance  Hospital, 
where  he  was  petted  and  loved  by  those  good  women 
who  had  come  all  the  way  from  America  to  care  for  the 
wounded. 

There  was  another  little  dog,  called  Loulou,  who  was 
found,  by  some  soldiers,  in  a  field  near  Amance,  in 
France.  The  little  animal  was  evidently  homeless  and 
on  the  verge  of  starvation.  Nearby,  a  house  and  hay- 
stack were  in  flames,  so  the  soldiers  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  enemy  had  burnt  the  farm  and  shot  the 
dog's  master. 

At  any  rate,  it  was  plain  that  Loulou  had  once  had  a 
good  home,  for  he  was  so  well  trained  that  when  he  was 
taken  to  the  trenches,  he  would  never  enter  the  men's 
dugouts  without  trying  to  wipe  his  feet  on  an  imaginary 
door-mat  at  the  entrance. 

He  was  only  a  mongrel,  with  a  nose  like  a  cocker 
spaniel,  a  fox  terrier's  coat,  and  a  bull  dog's  feet,  but, 
nevertheless,  this  comical-looking  little  dog  had  a 
loving  way  of  looking  at  his  rescuers  that  seemed  almost 
human. 

Often,  in  the  evenings,  with  his  nose  in  the  air,  he 
would  go  in  the  direction  of  the  enemy's  lines  to  scout 


Fend  1'Air,  the  best  loved  dog  in   Europe,  who   rescued   his 
master  who  had  been  buried  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell. 


TWO   MODERN   DOG   HEROES        179 

on  his  own  account,  and,  when  he  returned  from  these 
expeditions  and  looked  up  at  the  officers  with  a  very 
weary  look  in  his  big  eyes,  the  men  were  always  un- 
usually on  the  alert.  One  night,  when  he  growled  softly 
while  he  scratched  the  ground  as  if  he  suddenly  scented 
mischief  in  the  enemy's  lines,  an  officer  said  to  him, 
"Loulou,  what  do  you  hear?  The  enemy?" 

Then,  not  barking,  because  he  knew  that  prudence 
demanded  silence  at  a  time  like  this,  Loulou  raised 
his  dirt-covered  nose  again,  and  seemed  to  say,  "Yes," 
with  his  blinking  eyes. 

The  officers  thereupon  ordered  the  men  to  prepare 
for  a  surprise  attack.  As  they  pushed  forward  along 
the  trench,  Loulou  was  given  the  place  of  honor  at  their 
head,  and  with  his  funny  little  tail  in  the  air,  he  led 
them  through  the  pitch  darkness. 

Presently,  sure  enough,  they  came  upon  a  party  of 
the  enemy  who  had  intended  to  make  a  surprise  attack. 
On  account  of  Loulou's  alertness,  the  attack  was  a 
failure,  and  Loulou,  now  barking  at  the  top  of  his 
voice,  chased  the  retreating  troops  with  glee.  Un- 
fortunately he  caught  up  with  one  of  the  enemy  officers 
and  set  his  teeth  in  the  fleeing  one's  leg,  whereupon  the 
officer  shot  him. 

The  heartbroken  French  soldiers  carried  the  dog's 
body  back  to  their  trench,  and  there  dug  a  grave  for 


i8o  FAMOUS    FOUR-FOOTED   FRIENDS 

Loulou  as  if  he  had  been  one  of  them.  Then  the 
quartermaster,  with  a  voice  full  of  emotion,  said, 
"Goodby,  dear  little  comrade.  You  were  only  a  plain 
soldier  in  the  dog's  regiment,  but  we  have  all  taken  an 
oath  that  your  name  shall  live  as  long  as  that  of  our 
distinguished  regiment  We  shall  never  forget  you, 
faithful  and  tender  little  friend,  who  has  gone  to  the 
Great  Unknown  without  waiting  for  us.  Deeply,  we 
shall  miss  your  gambols  and  joyous  barking  that  brought 
sunshine  to  our  darkest  days.  Goodby,  Loulou;  we 
salute  you !" 

This  was  the  end  of  the  simple  ceremony,  but  a  vow 
was  made,  by  the  company,  and  was  agreed  to  by  the 
colonel,  that  at  each  roll  call,  thereafter,  the  dog's  name 
should  be  called  after  the  men's.  And,  since  that  time, 
when  the  sergeant-major  shouts  the  name,  "Loulou," 
in  his  powerful  voice,  one  of  the  soldiers,  as  a  proof 
that  Loulou's  heroism  has  not  been  forgotten,  answers 
simply,  "Died  like  a  soldier!" 


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